Of Flowers and Men
by Lkay09
Summary: Lily/James & Lily Luna/Teddy using the alphabet. Series of one-shots. Ideas VERY welcome! R&R!
1. Apples

**New story! Yay! See A/N at the bottom for more info :)  
**

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They were her favorite fruit – apples, that is. Every morning she had one from the bowl on the Gryffindor table and nearly every evening her dessert consisted of apples. It was a wonder she didn't get tired of them.

James had tried doing the same thing once, eating an apple every morning. He made it three days, and he couldn't understand how Lily did it. They weren't disgusting, but they weren't delicious either. Sirius had thought he was crazy, but then again, he understood his mate's willingness to do anything to get close to Lily Evans, even if it was something as out there as mimicking her eating habits.

But then one morning there were no apples. On _any_ table. James could see Lily down the table, a frown etched on her forehead as she wondered what to have for breakfast instead. Finally she chose a few pieces of toast and some bacon, but he could tell she wasn't really enjoying them as much as her morning apple. No relaxed smile appeared on her face, she didn't chat amiably with her friends.

The apple drought continued for two weeks, and James could see that it was troubling Lily. Her focus waned in some classes and she seemed to have a harder time studying. Even having some apples in her desserts in the evening wasn't helping.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_."

Slowly, the apple with a tag attached floated up the stairs and tapped itself against the door to the sixth year girls' dormitory. Marlene McKinnon stuck her head out and her eyes grew wide at the sight of the apple floating in front of her. She retreated to the dormitory and then Lily stepped out. She eyed the tag and then her eyes skimmed the room. Seeing no-one, she took the apple out of the air and smiling, took a bite out of it.

The same thing happened for a week, and James could see the difference in Lily. He wouldn't pretend to understand why an apple of all things affected her so much, but he just wanted her to be happy and he would float apples to her door for the rest of the year if it made her smile.

But one morning he overslept and didn't send an apple to her dorm, and the disappointment was evident on her face at breakfast. Sighing, James ran a hand through his hair as he watched her pick at her cereal.

At lunch, he sprinted down to the kitchens and asked the house elves for two apples. Carrying one in each hand, he raced back up the stairs and entered the Great Hall slightly disheveled.

Plopping into his usual space next to Sirius and across from Remus, he scanned the table for the telltale red hair.

Ah, there, next to Marlene, on the other side of the table about five seats down from Remus.

"Lily," he called. She stared more determinedly at her plate, probably thinking that he was just going to shout at her how much he loved her and would she please go to Hogsmeade with him?

"Lily!" he tried again. Remus looked up at him, at the apples in his hand, and rolled his eyes before calling to Lily himself. She looked up.

James tried to ignore the small stab of jealousy as Moony glanced apologetically at him and called "Catch!" He tossed the apple to her and she automatically reached out for it.

He took a bite of his own apple and watched her reaction, hoping that she wouldn't throw it away thinking it was spiked with love potion or something. She studied it for a moment and a small smile played across her lips. James took another bite of his apple and waited for her to do something.

Lily looked up at him and the smile grew slightly. James felt his heart skip a beat. She mouthed _Thanks, James_ and took a bite of her apple before turning back to her friends.

A goofy smile took up residence on his face – she had called him _James_. Well, maybe she hadn't said it out loud, but she had mouthed it, and it was a start.

Maybe apples weren't so bad after all.

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**Short, I know.**

**So, I stole the idea from LittlePlasticCastle (with permission, of course) about using the alphabet, one letter per chapter. And this is going to be slightly confusing, because none of the one-shots are linked, and some are going to be Lily Evans/James, and some will be Lily Luna/Teddy, because I couldn't decide what pair I liked more. I am VERY open to ideas for chapter titles because I have no clue what to put for some letters.**

**And this is not the 'Lily/James' funny that is in the poll - that is a separate story that I'm still working on. Update on this one will be very sporadic, depending on my work schedule and stuff.**

**So - review? Ideas please!  
**


	2. Bridesmaid

How on earth did she get here?

Victoire roped her into it, she thought vindictively. This whole stupid thing is her fault.

Actually – it was Teddy's fault. _He_ was the one who asked Victoire out three years ago, _he_ was the one who asked her to move in with him seven months ago, and _he…_he was the one who asked Victoire to _marry_ him four months ago.

And now Lily was reluctantly trudging down the aisle in a ridiculous gold dress. It would be a pretty dress except it was overly ruffly, there were bows _everywhere_, and it poofed out so far Lily felt like a freaking circus tent.

It hadn't really hit her until about thirty minutes ago, standing in her dress with her cousins and looking at Victoire in her white gown – Teddy really _was_ going to marry her. And there was nothing she could do about it.

And it sucked really, because Teddy was her best friend. Lily wanted him to be happy, she really did. But everyone in the family knew that Victoire was jealous of Teddy and Lily's friendship and that she had asked Lily to be maid of honor as a sort of "I told you so" to her. Since Teddy was Lily's closest friend, and this was his wedding, she could hardly say no and Victoire knew it.

Which was why it sucked, Lily thought as she walked down the aisle towards Teddy and her brothers, falling in love with your best friend. Never mind that Teddy was nine and a half years older than her and never mind that he saw her as his little sister. Lily had always had a crush on him, but then she hit fifteen and really started looking at him. Now, four years later, he was marrying her cousin and Lily was a bridesmaid in the traditional horrible dress.

Everyone in the family had always been all "Teddy and Victoire are so perfect for each other!" and "Teddy and Victoire will have the cutest kids!" or the occasional "They just complete each other so well!"

In Lily's opinion, it was all a load of bull. They _weren't_ perfect for each other, and their kids? Vic's fine features with Teddy's round face and Metamorphmagi skills? Talk about weird looking. As for completing each other…did Victoire get any of his jokes? Did she roll down the hill behind the Burrow with him? No, that was all Lily. Victoire just stood there and laughed indulgently, in an _aren't they so cute_ sort of way before taking Teddy's arm and leading him inside to talk to him about some nonsense - the latest gossip usually.

Lily reached the end of the aisle and took her place next to the other bridesmaids and across from Teddy. He smiled at her, and his face was so full of joy. Then the wedding march began and his face turned towards Victoire at the end of the aisle. Lily felt Rose – the only cousin who'd ever thought that Teddy belonged with Lily – squeeze her arm reassuringly as they watched their cousin walk down the aisle.

Lily thought she saw Teddy's smile drop a fraction, but knew it was her own wishful thinking.

She zoned out during the beginning of the wizard's speech. Then

"If anyone can find reason why these two should not be joined, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Lily closed her eyes for a moment and opened them to find Teddy staring confusedly at her over Victoire's shoulder. She shook her head slowly, turning to Rose and handing her the bouquet of chrysanthemums they all held.

Head held high, she walked out of the church.

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**Poor Lily Luna. Anyways...I only got one review for the first chapter. I appreciate it and my love goes to PenonPaperFingersonKeys, but I would appreciate more :) And I really need ideas for the next chapter. I already know what I'm doing for the letters D and F but not for many others. So help is appreciated muchly. Thanks! REVIEW REVIEW _REVIEW!_**


	3. Christmas

**Letters D & F are taken care of. But letter E and everything from G-Z are open!  
**

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Teddy sighed – Christmas at the Burrow with the massively extended Weasley-Potter clan was always chaos.

There was the usual massive tree in the living room, with a pile of presents nearly the same height. Everyone stayed there Christmas Eve so that the family could wake up together and open presents in the morning. In a tradition started years ago – completely by accident – the youngest went screaming through the halls and woke everyone up. And then it was a virtual stampede down to the tree. Mrs Weasley would be almost guaranteed to have breakfast cooking on the stove so that everyone could shovel some down after presents.

A smile tugged at his lips as he watched his family – the only one he'd ever known – laugh and sip eggnog and tear at presents. A hand slipped into his and he turned to see his girlfriend of two years, the youngest of the Potter/Weasleys.

Lily.

He planted a kiss on the top of her auburn head and pulled his hand from hers, instead tugging her in front on him and wrapping his arms around her from behind. He could feel her smile when he rested his chin on the top of her head, just like he could feel his hair slowly turn from its festive green and red to a vivid green that matched her eyes.

They had both been relatively shocked when nobody in their family cared that they were dating. Most of them weren't surprised, and apparently Al and James, along with Rose, Hugo, Louis, and Roxanne had had a pool going on how long it was going to take them.

Of course, Al and James had pulled him aside and given him the obligatory "You hurt our sister, we hurt you" type of speech. But even Harry had been fine with it, and he had been the one that they had worried over the most.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Merry Christmas," she murmured back.

They stood there and watched the family.

James and his wife's newborn baby Sirius sat in the middle of a huge pile of wrapping paper, clapping his hands excitedly. Al and his girlfriend sat talking to Rose and Scorpius who were holding hands – they had recently celebrated six years together and everyone was wondering when they were getting married.

Victoire was holding her toddler Marie by the hand while her husband chatted with Bill and Harry. Mrs Weasley was handing Ron, Ginny, and George enormous plates of food while Angelina and Hermione rolled their eyes and laughed.

"Everyone!" an elderly Mr Weasley called. "It's time for the last presents."

Yet another Weasley tradition – everyone opened all of their presents except one, which they saved for after breakfast and a period of talking and catching up.

As if everyone didn't see some member of the family at least twice a week.

Excitedly, everyone managed to somehow cram around the tree. Mr and Mrs Weasley walked over in front, holding hands.

"We just want to thank you all for coming for Christmas this year," Mrs Weasley began tearfully, and Teddy had to stifle a small chuckle – he had been present at Weasley Christmases since it was just him and his "aunts and uncles" and he had always heard this speech. Mrs Weasley always cried.

Lily elbowed him lightly in the stomach and in response he squeezed her around the waist.

"Careful!" she admonished. He did let out a chuckle and kissed the back of her neck softly. Lily giggled and Rose turned to look at her, an eyebrow arched in amusement. They both mouthed "Sorry", causing Rose to grin.

"…and so, let's get down to the present opening!" Mr Weasley finished. Teddy was surprised to realize he had completely tuned out the entire speech – but then, Lily always did that to him.

"Bill…Charlie…Percy…George…Ron…Harry…Ginny…Fleur…Audrey…Angelina…Hermione…Gwenog…Neville…Hannah…Alice…Luna…Rolf…Lorcan…Lysander…Victoire…Dominique…Louis…Molly…Lucy…Roxanne…Fred…Rose …Hugo…James…Albus…Lily…Scorpius…Teddy...Amber…Marcus…Marie…Sirius." Mr Weasley finished handing out the presents and calling out names. Slowly, the list was lengthening. They tried to do it in some sort of order – Weasley siblings in age order, their spouses, their children, and then _their_ children. But it got mixed up sometimes.

One by one, the last presents were opened, and they were always the best. Even if your presents from earlier that morning were amazing, there was always something about the last present that made it extra special. In the last few years, some people had even taken to labeling a present to someone _To be opened last_.

Teddy received a picture of he and Lily from Harry, enchanted so that as they grew older together, another portrait was added through the years around the edge of the frame. The one in the middle showed he and Lily at her graduation, when they had first gotten together. She had come running towards him and he had caught her, spinning her around and kissing her.

Lily received a locket from Rose. When opened a moving picture was projected out of the entire Weasley-Potter clan.

Al had thought it would be funny to give Harry half of a piece of enchanted mistletoe and Ginny the other half. When the boxes were opened, they floated up and connected. Once Harry and Ginny kissed, it began floating around the room above other couples.

"It's so sweet," Lily sighed, turning in Teddy's arms to lay her head on his chest. Without letting him comment, she continued, "After almost thirty years, my parents are still so in love, and so are Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione…all my aunts and uncles really. Even Charlie and Gwenog and they aren't actually married." She paused and looked up at him. "Do you think we'll be like that in thirty years?"

Teddy smiled – she asked it so innocently, so seriously.

"Yes," he said, putting his whole heart into the answer. "We will." The mistletoe floated over them as Teddy bent his head and kissed Lily gently.

"Oi! Get a room!" Al called. "Actually, on second thought, don't – just stop kissing my sister!" Lily giggled as Teddy blushed.

"Actually," Lily replied as every eye turned to them, "Teddy and I have an announcement." Teddy gulped as every male Weasley fixed him with a death glare. He tugged Lily in front of him again and hunched a little.

"We're getting married!" Lily tugged the chain with her engagement ring from under her jumper and showed it to everyone. Instantly, the death glares lessened and all the female Weasleys surrounded them, exclaiming and hugging them. Finally, Harry stepped up to them and hugged Lily so tightly Teddy was afraid she would snap in half.

He turned to Teddy and stuck out his hand. Grasping it reluctantly, Teddy let Harry pull him into a hug. He murmured, "Take care of her, okay?" Pulling back, Teddy nodded firmly. That, Harry would never have to worry about.

Gradually everyone drifted off to various parts of the house. Lily and Teddy wandered outside to the overgrown garden and she spun to face him, her face lifted up to the snow.

"When…?" Teddy began apprehensively.

"…are we going to tell them about baby Remus?" Lily finished for him, and he nodded. "I figured you could tell them at the traditional Weasley New Years party."

Teddy gulped.

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**Yay! Another one done, and so quickly! And since I'm off work tomorrow, and the letter D is almost completely written, it may be posted! Review! I need ideas! Oh, and a gazillion thanks to PenonPaperFingersonKeys for all the ideas you've given me so far :)**

**Oh, and to clear it up - Alice is Neville and Hannah's kid, Amber is Al's girlfriend, and Marcus is Victoire's husband.  
**


	4. Downpour

**EEK! Two updates within two days! A personal record for me, I believe. But don't expect it again. Ideas for the letter E please?  
**

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"Lily! Lily, wait!"

Ignoring him, Lily stormed out of the Entrance Hall at practically a run to the front doors of Hogwarts. She threw them open and proceeded outside, heedless of the downpour of rain, hoping she could make it to her favorite hiding spot by the lake before her least favorite Marauder caught up to her. It wasn't fair, really, that he had such long legs.

The rain mingled with the tears on her face, although she tried to tell herself she wasn't crying, wasn't upset by the scene she had just witnessed. She didn't _own_ James, she wasn't his girlfriend – this thought wrenched another sob out of her, because it was her fault. She'd had plenty of opportunity. So it was okay for him to kiss someone else. Especially if he'd been dating that someone else for at least two months, a personal record for him.

But in those two months, she'd managed to avoid seeing them together, and she'd _never_ seen them kiss. It hurt her, it physically hurt her, and so she ignored her name being called behind her and walked faster, slipping every so often.

She'd pushed James away, she thought blindly as she wiped sopping hair off her face, so it was understandable that he'd moved on. Except…he'd never done it before, left her alone and dated someone else for so long and seemed so _happy_ with them.

Her chest heaving with exertion and sobs, Lily reached the tree by the lake and pressed her back against the bark. Several drops made it through the leaves and plopped around her.

Other than the rain, it was silent. James was no longer calling her name, and this caused Lily's chest to squeeze again. He had gone back to his girlfriend, had given up on her _again_. That was all he ever seemed to do lately, and it was all her fault.

Overwhelmed by her frustration and anger at herself, Lily screamed. It was raining so hard that it didn't carry up to the castle, and so she wasn't worried about someone coming to see what was wrong.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Lily doubled over, tears still streaking down her face. Emotions still coursed through her, and so she turned blindly and began pounding her fists against the tree, trying to work out some of what she was feeling.

She stopped ten minutes later, her hands throbbing. Exhausted, Lily stepped around the tree, ready to head back up to the castle and visit Madam Pomfrey for a Pepper-Up Potion, when she came face-to-face with a soaking wet James Potter.

Taken aback, Lily still shoved past him and began walking uphill to the castle.

"Lily."

She could have laughed hysterically. _Here we go again_, she thought. She trudged on until a hand snagged her elbow and spun her around.

"What do you want Potter?" she yelled, both of them ignoring the rain still pouring around them. It wasn't fair, she thought, that he could look so handsome standing in the rain instead of looking like a drowned rat like she probably did.

"I want to know what's wrong," he said calmly. Lily snorted.

"Like you don't already know." She turned to walk off again, but he stepped in front of her.

"I have an idea. But I don't want to say the wrong thing and piss you off when things have been going so well between us lately." He stared at her, hazels eyes probing through the sheets of rain.

Lily sighed and her shoulders slumped, the fight and anger and hurt and frustration melting right out of her.

"Don't worry about it James," she said softly, brushing yet more wet hair out of her face. "I'm fine." The tear that slid out of her eye contradicted her statement, and James somehow spotted it through the droplets of rain on her face. He reached up hesitantly and brushed under her eye with the pad of his thumb. Lily closed her eyes and relaxed under the caress.

She opened them and looked at James to see that he had moved much closer, and the look in his eyes was nothing short of wonder and adoration. Lily's breath caught in her throat.

James leaned down slowly, almost as if he was waiting for her to pull away. When she didn't he brushed his lips over hers softly, then pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes squeezed shut.

"James," she said softly. His eyes snapped open and stared into hers.

"Just let me enjoy this moment before you hex me, alright?"

She chuckled. "I wasn't going to hex you." His eyes widened slightly, and his hand, which had been resting on her cheek, slid down to the small of her back, bringing them closer together. James moved as though to kiss her again, but she placed a hand on his soaked chest and stopped him. His eyes clouded over a bit.

Lily bit her lip. "What about…" she didn't want to say her name and burst their rain-bubble.

"She knows how I feel about you, Lily. Everyone does. I just…never thought you'd feel the same way." Lily wanted to laugh, but the seriousness of his expression took her by surprise.

"Really?" she whispered. The pattering of the rain seemed louder by comparison. "You always seemed so sure, so confident."

James let out a low chuckle, pressing his forehead back to hers.

"Yeah, I _seemed_ it. But starting about middle of sixth year, I completely lost hope. I really started to believe that you hated me and that you would never entertain the idea of going out with me. And it really broke my heart, because I've had a thing for you since I was eleven years old."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, shaking her head and sending some droplets flying. "I was so horrible. How can you still want to be around me?"

"Because I love you," he replied simply. A shy smile spread across Lily's face and she reached up and pressed her lips to his.

"Good."

A few more drops splattered on their heads.

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**Letter F I have begun to write. But I haven't got the slightest idea for E and that's where you, my lovely readers, come in. If you want me to update, I NEED IDEAS! Haha, thank you. :)**


	5. Eww

"That's really all you have to say Roxy?" Lily looked at her best friend incredulously. Well – best friend and cousin. "'Eww?' That's it?"

Roxanne sighed and flopped down onto the bed next to Lily. "Yes, that really is all I have to say."

Lily sat up and crossed her legs Indian style, peering at Roxanne. "Why?"

"Because…the age difference, really. He's only seventeen and a half years younger than your dad and he's nine years older than you. I just don't like it and I don't think it's going to work."

"Well," Lily replied confidently, "Teddy and I think it will work and that's all that matters, alright?" Roxanne nodded, and Lily left the room silently, seeking out Teddy.

He was sitting in front of the fire with his chin in his hands. Lily stepped behind him and slid her hands over his shoulders before sitting next to him.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hey."

"Where is everyone?"

Teddy sighed. "Well, Harry and Ginny went to discuss it upstairs with Ron and Hermione, and I'm sure your cousins are all out in the garden gossiping right now."

Lily sighed as well and rested her cheek on his shoulder. His right arm encircled her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Maybe you were right – maybe we should have waited to tell them."

He chuckled. "If we had waited any longer, we would have been sending them the invitations to our wedding. We've been together almost a year already."

"Our wedding?" Lily asked with a tone of wonder. "You want to marry me?"

"Well, yeah." Teddy replied sheepishly, his hair turning as red as his cheeks. She couldn't help it – an ear-to-ear grin took up residence on her face. She tugged his face down to hers and kissed him soundly.

"Ew." Came the pointed remark from the doorway. Lily and Teddy broke apart to see Roxanne standing there with an unreadable look on her face. She passed through the room and stepped outside, undoubtedly to join the other Weasley-Potters who were talking about Lily and Teddy's newly revealed relationship. Lily sighed again and pressed her forehead to his shoulder.

"Lils?"

"Hmm?"

"What did Roxanne think?" Lily pulled back and looked Teddy in the eye.

"She doesn't like it, and she thinks you're too old for me. Her only remark about it really was 'eww' which didn't exactly make me feel good."

Teddy moved his arm from behind her waist and laced his fingers through hers.

"Well…" he said slowly, "Maybe she's right. I _am_ nine years older than you."

Lily's jaw dropped and her heart sped up erratically.

"Teddy Remus Lupin, _please_ tell me you did not just say that."

He was silent and looked at her with a mixed look of pity and resignation.

"Lily-"

She stood up. "Oh, no. No you_ don't_! You are not going to break up with me now, of all times, not five minutes after you said you wanted to marry me, not after we already told the entire family!"

Teddy's attention was distracted by the screen door sliding open behind Lily and admitting James, Al, Rose, Hugo, Scorpius (who might as well be part of the family), Fred, and Roxanne.

"We heard some shouting," Al said uncertainly. The rest of them looked between Lily, who had a few tears rolling down her face, and Teddy who was staring at his hands. Lily whirled on Roxanne.

"This is _your_ fault. You shoved the age difference in our faces and now he wants to _break up_ with me because of it! I hope you're happy." Roxanne blanched.

Unnoticed by anyone, the adults quietly stepped into the living room and surveyed the scene before them. James and Al began rolling up the sleeves of their robes and reaching for their wands. Teddy scooted behind Lily slightly.

"So," James said menacingly, "after Al and I had come to the conclusion that we should go ahead and trust you with our baby sister's heart because she has been so happy lately and now we know why – you decide you want to break it?"

Teddy stood up behind Lily and placed his hands on her waist. She shoved them off and wiped a few tears off her face.

"I think," came Harry's voice from the corner, and everyone jumped, "that we should give Lily and Teddy a few more minutes."

Reluctantly, James and Al let their wands lower, and Teddy took Lily's hand and tugged her outside into the snow.

He turned to face her and barely managed to catch her hand as it came up to slap him.

"Lily," he said pleadingly. She refused to look at him and instead turned to survey the snow-capped trees and the white ground.

"I'm sorry."

"So?"

"Lily."

"What Teddy? You expect me to forget this? One little obstacle and you were ready to run. How are we supposed to last like that?"

"I'm _sorry_! I just panicked. I'm already worried about what your parents are going to say and then you told me what Roxanne thinks and," Teddy sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, "I know she's your best friend and you might believe her and want to end it. I really am sorry."

The look on Lily's face softened slightly, but she refused to give in that easily. "How do I know you won't panic next time something like this happens and be ready to break up with me all over again?"

Hesitating for a split second, Teddy sank to one knee in the snow. Lily's jaw dropped for the second time that evening and her eyes grew as large as platters.

"I wanted to do it all properly, ask Harry for permission and everything but-" He was cut off as Lily flung herself at him and kissed him for all she was worth, knocking them both into the snow.

Eight voices could be heard from inside

"_EWWW!_"

"Ron!"

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**So I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter. Inspiration wasn't really striking, so this is what I came up with, and I'm sorry. Feel free to flame this chapter because I know it sucks. But the next chapter should be better! I already know what I'm doing for that chapter, so I need ideas for the letter G! And I need reviews! Thank you!**


	6. Fear

Lily opened her eyes to the darkness of her bedroom and looked around. Moonlight filtered through the window where her husband was sitting. Sighing, he ran his hands through his messy hair frustratedly, not seeming to realize that she was awake. Having a pretty good idea of what had woken him up, Lily wrapped her sheet around herself and stood, walking over to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he covered it with his own larger, calloused hand.

"What is it?"

He didn't answer.

"James?"

"I'm scared, Lily," he said softly. She sank to her knees next to him.

"I am too." He shook his head slowly.

"No, Lil, I'm _really_ scared. Not for myself, but for the two of you. I love Harry more than anything on this Earth, but what were we thinking, having a child in the middle of this war?"

"We were thinking that this might be our only chance."

They were silent for a few seconds, James watching the sky and Lily watching him.

"How am I supposed to protect you, keep you safe from him?"

Lily ran her hand over his forehead and through his hair.

"It'll be okay, James."

"How, Lily? How is it going to be okay? Voldemort is after our son, and that means us too. I don't really give a damn about myself, but you and Harry…"

Lily stood up then and sat herself next to James on the window seat. She took her his face in her hands and made him look at her.

"Dumbledore told us about the prophecy for a reason – so that we could prepare ourselves, so that we could go into hiding. We'll be protected, and we will protect Harry with everything we've got." The look on James's face nearly broke her heart and she pulled him towards her so that he was laying on top of her on the window seat with his head on her chest. His shoulders shook.

"Shh…" Lily whispered, stroking his head. "It's okay."

They lay there like that for awhile while Lily held him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered eventually and Lily couldn't help but smile.

"It's okay," she replied softly. "You don't always have to be the strong one, you know. Let me do it sometimes."

"Aren't you scared?"

Lily let out a wry chuckle and reached up to wipe a stray tear off her cheek before tangling her fingers in his hair again. "I'm terrified. All the time, actually. I can't stand to think about something happening to you or to Harry. But you don't always have to protect us. Let me protect you sometimes. I'm stronger than you give me credit for."

"That's right," he said with a watery chuckle as he lifted his head to peer at her. "You do have quite the willpower sometimes. You resisted me for six and a half years."

"Well," she replied with a giggle, "I'm glad I finally gave in."

James listened to her heartbeat beneath his ear – in his opinion, the only sound more beautiful was Harry's laughter. Another tear slid down his cheek and onto her chest as he replied softly

"Me too. That's why this whole thing terrifies me so much. He could take you from me in an instant, you and Harry."

"He could take you from me too."

Silence fell upon them again as they both pondered the unpleasant prospect of life without the other or their son. The weight that had been hovering around them since Dumbledore informed them of the prophecy suddenly felt oppressive.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

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**I'm slightly happier with this chapter than I am with the last one.  
Letter G is written and H is in progress, but I don't have anything for any letters after that so...ideas?  
And I was originally going to wait to post this, but I have to go to work in about an hour, and it's going to be a long day and when I get home I'm just going to want to crawl on my bed and under the covers and never resurface. BUT! I thought _Post this chapter, and maybe you will have some reviews to look forward to!_ So make my day! REVIEW! PLEASE?**


	7. Green

"Today, class," Slughorn called out jovially, settling the sixth years down, "We will be testing Veritaserum so that you may take notes on its effects for your upcoming exams. I will need a few volunteers. Ah yes, Mr Fenwick, Ms Bones, and…Mr Potter."

James strode up to the front of the class and took his place next to the other two students. He scanned the room and met Lily Evans green eyes and felt his heart speed up. He gave a small smile towards her – she replied with an eye roll and turned to speak to one of her friends. James's previously racing heart seemed to sink.

And she looked so pretty today that all he wanted to do was stare at her. He thought she looked gorgeous every day really, but today she just seemed to glow. Her green jumper brought out the color of her eyes and made her hair shine. She had taken off her robes in the strange warmth of the dungeon today and now that she wasn't looking at James, her eyes were sparkling with laughter. They were the most amazing shade of emerald green that James had ever seen.

"Mr Potter?"

With a start, James realized that Slughorn had already tested Benjy and Amelia and was now standing in front of him, looking expectant and slightly concerned. Every eye – including a pair of green ones – was focused on him and he shifted slightly uncomfortably. Strange how he could play Quidditch in front of the entire school but was nervous standing in front of a class.

But Lily never went to Quidditch games. She was here, watching him now.

"Are you ready to take some of the Veritaserum?"

James nodded, hoping that the professor didn't ask him anything too embarrassing. He cursed silently, wishing he'd paid attention to what he had asked the others.

Professor Slughorn handed him the vial of clear liquid and he sipped two drops.

"Now…what is your full name?"

_Just say James Potter_. "James Harold Potter."

"What do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?"

_Play professional Quidditch_. "Become an Auror and fight You-Know-Who. And mar-mmmph."

James had clapped a hand over his mouth and muttered the last part. He looked out at the class to see some whispering about his career choice and others looking amazed. Lily's eyes were wide, almost like she couldn't believe that he would do something so selfless. Nobody seemed to have caught his almost slip.

Well, he thought again after glancing in the back of the class, Sirius and Remus may have. They already knew what he really wanted to do, so why else would they be whispering?

"What is your favorite color, Mr Potter?"

_Red, or gold._ "Green."

The entire class looked surprised at that, even the other Marauders. James Potter, liking a color that had no relation to Gryffindor? Unheard of. But a color that was tied to Slytherin? Downright shocking, and enough to feed the Hogwarts rumor mill for weeks.

Even Professor Slughorn looked shocked.

"Why is green your favorite color?"

James could feel the effects wearing off – his inclination to spit out the truth was lessening by the moment. Before he could think up an excuse, the bell rang and, relieved, James made his way back to his desk and packed up his cauldron, ignoring his friends probing stares.

"So, Prongs…why _is_ green your favorite color?" Sirius asked as they walked out of the dungeon. James sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, nearly dislodging his glasses.

"Lily's eyes are green," he said with a combination of wistfulness and resignation. "And the jumper she is wearing today is green and she looks so…beautiful in it. I didn't even know that was my favorite color until the Veritaserum-"

"But why," Sirius interrupted, "would your favorite color have something to do with a girl that does nothing but make you miserable?"

James let out a slow breath and looked up at the ceiling, stopping for a minute.

"Because I'm so in love with her I can't help myself. I'd rather have her make me miserable than be completely indifferent to me. If she hates me, at least she feels _something_. And my favorite color being the color of her eyes…that's the least of it. You guys are my best friends, but you have no _idea_ how much Lily means to me."

"What did you stop yourself from saying earlier, James?" Remus ventured to ask. "When Slughorn asked what you wanted to do after leaving Hogwarts."

"I almost said that I wanted to marry Lily Evans. But I didn't think she would appreciate that and so I stopped myself. I didn't want her to have any more reason to hate me. Especially since she would probably think that I was just saying it as a kind of pick-up line or something, even with the Veritaserum."

They began walking again, each of them lost in their own thoughts. The four of them rounded the corner and James bumped into a shell-shocked looking Lily Evans. Before he could say anything, Sirius spoke.

"Eavesdropping were we, Evans?"

Lily looked from Sirius to James to Remus and back to James. "I…I didn't mean to..." She met James's eye and blushed, looking away.

"It's okay, Lily," James said softly. "It's nothing you probably already knew."

And the Marauders continued down the hall, leaving Lily behind them to whisper

"But I didn't."

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**So there's that chapter :) H and I are done, I need ideas for J though please. Review! And go to my profile and vote on my poll please because it's still open!**


	8. Homewrecker

"Lily Luna…Lupin," he murmurs in her ear. "Has a nice…_ring_ to it, huh?" His thumb traces over the diamond ring and two bands on her finger.

"Are you going to be in this good of a mood for the rest of our lives? Because I think it will wear me down a bit." Lily laughs and Teddy places a kiss on the side of her neck.

Their marriage had surprised everyone. The family hadn't even known they were dating until _after_ they announced their elopement. Needless to say, her Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur hadn't been very happy – up until seven months ago, Teddy had been dating their daughter Victoire. Then she had suggested they 'take a break' and went on a yearlong trip to India. He hadn't heard from her since.

But Victoire's leaving turned out to be a blessing in disguise – despite his initial pain, Teddy realized a month or so after she left that what really made him happy was Lily and her laughter and her smiles and her sometimes ridiculously horrible jokes.

Now, three months after their marriage, they were still as happy as could be, despite the animosity that still leaked in from Bill, Fleur, Dominique, and Louis. They figured Victoire felt the same way, but neither of them had heard from her in months – Bill had told her, they assumed.

The two of them were living in Teddy's flat – it was small, but it was just the two of them and they loved it.

Lily and Teddy sit in front of the fire, her back pressing against his chest and a few blankets thrown haphazardly around them, content.

"Love you," he whispers, and she relishes the sound of his voice, knowing it's all for her.

A small pop is heard in the tiny kitchen and a clear voice calls out "Teddy?"

Wide-eyed, Lily and Teddy look at each other, wondering why she is back five months early and if she is pissed at them – but she doesn't sound pissed.

They don't have time to do more than tug the blankets closer around them before footsteps are heard approaching the living room.

"Teddy! There you are! I stopped by Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's and they said you were…here…" her voice falters as she takes in the sight of them sitting together, obviously without clothes, their faces burning.

Teddy opens his mouth to try and stammer out…something, what exactly, he doesn't know, but she cuts him off by shrieking

"You homewrecking _slut_!"

Lily jumps and Teddy's arm instinctively goes around her waist and he holds her tighter against his chest.

"Vic, we can -" But she will hear none of it and cuts him off again.

"I knew you had a freaking crush on him, _the whole family did_, but to _seduce_ him when I'm gone and he's vulnerable? That's downright evil and twisted and _demented_! Get away from him, NOW!"

"She didn't-" But Victoire's attention stays on Lily, the sole person she blames for this.

Victoire launches into a tirade about how _you can't trust family anymore_ and _no relationship is sacred these days_ and _men are just _so_ freaking gullible and easily seduced_. Lily runs her fingers through her hair in an aggravated manner before burying her face in her hands. The firelight glints off her rings and Teddy's as he rubs her back slowly, trying to soothe away some of the hurt that she _has_ to be feeling at her cousin's words.

Blue eyes widen to the color of saucers.

"You're _married_?" And Teddy and Lily pale – they thought she knew!

"I will _never_ forgive you for this, Lily Potter! You are nothing but a homewrecking whore and you are no longer my family! You have ruined my whole life!"

With another pop that sounds like a gunshot, she vanishes. Lily cries softly into her hands.

"She's right," she finally gulps between sobs. "I _am_ a homewrecker. The two of you were together and then I got in the way, and-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Teddy admonishes softly. "She left me, remember? You didn't get in the way of _anything_ and you are most definitely not a homewrecking whore. Ignore her, she was bound to be upset. She'll get over it eventually…hopefully." He tugs Lily onto his lap and wraps his arms around her while she cries into his chest, rocking her back and forth like he used to when she was younger and just his best friend, not his _wife_. The thought brings a smile to Teddy's face like it always does.

"Are you sure," she asks, her eyes red and her face puffy and he can't help but think she's so undeniably beautiful, "that you wouldn't be happier with her? I would understand if maybe you want an annulment or something to go back to her." She represses a sob, because really she does just want for Teddy to be happy, even if it means the end of _TeddyandLily_ and the return of _TeddyandVictoire_. Well, maybe.

Teddy silences her and her doubts with a firm kiss.

"So," she asks breathlessly when they break apart, "you don't think I'm a homewrecker?"

Teddy chuckles and plants a kiss on her forehead while holding her even closer.

"Lily, you _are_ my home, and the only way you could ever wreck it would be to leave me."

Now Lily laughs.

"That was so unbelievably _cheesy_ Ted, I cannot believe you just said that!"

Their laughs mingle and they snuggle closer together, Victoire and familial animosity completely forgotten in the light that is their marriage and their future together.

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**Happy Fourth of July! This is my present to you for this wonderful holiday! Haha, but for those of you that aren't American and are reading this then...Happy I-Updated-So-You-Have-Something-To-Read Day!  
Anyways...I need ideas for letters M, N, O, Q, S, U, W, X, Y, Z. Thank you! Review! And vote in my poll!**


	9. Insecurity

**This one is short but sweet. Enjoy :)  
**

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It could easily be said that there was nothing Lily Evans liked much about herself. She had bright red hair that she could never escape and weird green eyes that everyone exclaimed over but that she would trade in instantly for a pair of plain old brown or blue ones.

She wasn't as thin as most of the other girls – she had curves, and she hated them. She'd tried a few diets to slim down, but when the food was as good as it is at Hogwarts, they'd proved hard to stick to.

Lily believed it was all these reasons that nobody had ever seemed interested in her, despite her friends' many protests. James Potter was interested, they would say smugly, he had always had been.

James Potter, Lily would scoff back, was interested because she still remained the only girl to have ever said no to him.

But that wasn't true – and everyone save Lily herself knew it. James loved Lily completely, all of her – her hair, her captivating eyes, her curves, her brains, everything about her that she loathed, he loved and adored that much more. And he tried to show her that he thought she was beautiful, but looking back he realized that he may have gone about it the wrong way. All his attention seemed to only magnify her feelings of insecurity about herself.

Then James left her alone. And she felt even more insecure – if James Potter was finally leaving her alone, then there was definitely something wrong, right? There had to be.

James found Lily crying on the floor of a hallway one evening when they should have been patrolling. He pulled her into his arms and she let everything she had been feeling for the last six years out – how much she hated everything about herself and why had he given up on her and why did nobody seem to want to be around her.

He let her cry herself out before calmly explaining everything, telling her for the first time how much and how deeply he really loved her. It wasn't just because she was the last holdout of the girls at Hogwarts, he explained. It was because she was Lily Evans, and she was smart and gorgeous and everything he had ever dreamed about.

So she kissed him. Again, and again, and again, and again…

Lily stayed somewhat insecure – something like that just doesn't go away, not when it's embedded into your conscious like it had been for her. But now, she had James there to tell her she was wrong and to make her see, for the first time in her life, how beautiful she really was.

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**Keep the ideas coming please! Letter J will be posted as soon as I have finished it, but it's almost done :) Review! And vote in my poll please!**


	10. Jealousy

Okay, this was getting a little ridiculous.

James could understand the fact that he envied and resented other guys that Lily let get close to her. But now…

She and Remus were sitting together in the library, _studying_. They were poring over some text for Ancient Runes, and their heads were too close together for James's liking. In fact, what he would have _liked_ to do was grab Remus by his sandy hair and drag him down the hall and into the Forbidden Forest.

Which was why James was calling himself ridiculous while hiding behind a bookshelf.

It was halfway through fifth year and James's determination to go out with Lily Evans was hardly lessening – actually it seemed to be growing every day, along with this weird tingling and boiling in his stomach every time another guy so much as _spoke_ to her. He frequently denied Remus and Sirius's claims and taunts that he was jealous, because that would mean that he actually rather liked Lily. Which he didn't – if he was jealous, it was because Lily went out with other guys but still refused to go out with him, and she was the only girl above third year who had as of yet refused. It wasn't right, you know?

But he knew Remus wasn't interested in Lily, and even if he was, he knew that she was off limits. Except his arm kept brushing hers and it made James's fists clench…on their own of course.

Lily laughed at something Remus had said and James's blood began to boil, and several scenes involving the slow disemboweling of Remus Lupin began to flash through his mind.

James was halfway out of his seat to head towards them when he stopped himself and had an epiphany of sorts.

He _was_ jealous.

Oh. Bloody. Hell.

He made a beeline for the exit and sank down onto the ground in the nearest alcove, pondering this latest development.

If James was jealous of any guy that got to be close to Evans, then it _had_ to mean he liked her, right? Except he never felt any different around her. No butterflies, no stuttering, or any of it. He was same old James…except for when he was showing off around her.

He scrubbed his hands over his face, nearly dislodging his glasses. How could he like Lily Evans? _How_? James Potter didn't do real feelings. He just went around snogging all the girls who worshipped the ground he walked on, his adoring fanclub.

Well, maybe that was why he liked Lily, he pondered. She said no, every time. She didn't worship him, treat him any different than his friends did…other than the yelling and cursing him. And since he liked her…being jealous was part of the package apparently.

The sound of a laugh reached him, and he recognized it as hers, followed by the sound of Remus's chuckle. His stomach clenched. What if Lily liked Remus, or he liked her? What if they ended up going out, and James had to be a groomsman at his best friend's wedding to the first girl he really cared about? And if they had _kids_? He would always be around her, but he wouldn't be able to do anything because she hated him and she would be married to _Remus_.

James was working himself into a panic and trying not to hyperventilate, but Remus – most likely with his excellent werewolf hearing – pulled aside the tapestry hiding James and peered down at him.

"Prongs? You okay?"

Seeing Lily looking over Remus's shoulder, James scrambled to his feet, blushing.

Since when did he _blush_?

Lily arched an eyebrow. Remus was kind enough to smirk.

"Remus, can you…I need, umm…I…can I talk to Lil-Evans…you know, for a minute?" James ran his hand through his hair anxiously and then rubbed the back of his head. Remus stifled a chuckle, clearly enjoying James's nerves and discomfort.

Ignoring Lily's look – anger mixed with pleading – Remus turned and walked jauntily down the hall, whistling. Lily growled before whirling on James angrily.

"What do you want Potter?"

James rubbed the back of his head again. Lily had never made him this nervous before – it was like giant, man-eating butterfly mutants were swarming in his stomach, making him want to throw up and making his heart beat uncomfortably.

"Ev-Lily, I was wondering…well there's a…umm, Hogsmeade trip in two days…sorry, umm, two weeks, and I thinking…well I was…do you, um…?"

Lily arched her eyebrow and crossed her arms. "What?"

James exhaled and tried to get his tongue around the words this time.

"Do you want to go with me to Hogsmeade? Please?"

He knew he looked different and sounded different this time – if memory served him correctly, this was the first time that he had actually _asked_ her to Hogsmeade, rather than saying something like "Evans – you, me, Hogsmeade, see you there" accompanied by a wink and a cocky smirk. And the usual arrogance that she always said he had – well, if she could find arrogance underneath all that stuttering and mumbling, then something was seriously wrong with one or both of them.

Lily's eyebrows shot up.

"No, Potter," she replied coldly. "I don't know what game you're playing," she added, "but it won't work. You can pretend to be all shy or whatever, but I know the real you, Potter – you're an arrogant arse and you only _pretend_ to be interested in me is because I'm one of the few girls who will tell you no. Get it through your head, Potter. No means _no_."

She spun on her heel and marched back down the hall, missing the crestfallen look that had fallen over James's face.

The heartbroken look was replaced by one of anger when he saw Lily laughing with a guy the next day before class. Then she reached over and _touched his arm_.

Was it any wonder that the offending guy ended up in the Hospital Wing three hours later, leeks coming out of his ears? Or that James was in the next bed a few hours later, his shoes glued painfully to his feet?

Jealousy does funny things to you, you know?

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**Ideas for letter still open! K & L are done, so anything after that!**


	11. King's Cross

Lily curled up into a ball and cried. She was dead, her husband was dead, and her son was more than likely dead as well. He had only been a year old…it just wasn't fair…

She lost track of time as she cried...although it also didn't feel like any time had passed at all. _Is this hell?_ Lily couldn't help but wonder. _Am I going to be stuck here forever, missing Harry and missing James, incapable of doing anything but thinking about them?_ If it was possible, she would have wanted to die again.

After hours had passed – or maybe it was seconds; it could have been months – she heard a voice calling her faintly. Her head shot up, red curls flying back as she looked around wildly.

"Lily?" the voice seemed so far away and she couldn't remember who it belonged to.

"I'm over here!" she called, unsure of which way to move. Lily looked around the white expanse and moved over to grip a rail she was sure hadn't been there a moment ago. Some sort of white smoke appeared and swirled around her legs and up her body. When it cleared, she was wearing a simple white dress – Lily hadn't even noticed she was naked.

"Lily? Where are you?"

"Here!" she called back again, wanting desperately to know who else was in this strange place with her. A small speck appeared far back in the blinding whiteness and slowly grew bigger. When she saw who it was, Lily took off running towards him.

She threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking them both over backwards. Her fingers laced through his messy black hair and his arms wrapped around her waist tightly. They just stood there and held each other for only Merlin knows how long.

Finally he pulled back and ran his fingers over her face in an almost desperate manner.

"Are you okay? You aren't really hurt, are you? I mean, other than the obvious-"

Lily cut him off by kissing him, hard. He responded enthusiastically and it was awhile before they spoke again.

"I didn't want you – I love you but I wish – you shouldn't be here Lily." Tears started rolling down James's face and he pressed himself closer to her. Lily clung to him but was surprised that she didn't start crying as well.

More time passed, as infinite as all the previous moments, and then James looked back at Lily and stroked her jaw.

"I'm so confused. I didn't want you to die. You never deserved that, and who…who is going to take care of Harry, on the off chance he survived?

"But at the same time, I'm so relieved that you are here because the thought of being stuck here, wherever this is, without you forever and you maybe moving on and loving someone else – it was tearing me up inside."

Lily laughed, in spite of their whole situation. "Do you really think that you could die and I would just _move on_?"

James remained grave. "It was always one of my biggest fears. Losing you somehow."

"Well," she said, "you should be happy to know that you are stuck with me for all of eternity now, just like you always wanted."

He couldn't help but smile, and neither could she. They both had wanted to live, for their son and for each other, but they both preferred to be dead together than suffer through life or the afterlife without their soulmate.

"Where is Harry?" James asked at the same time Lily said "Do you hear that?" James listened and heard the faint sound of a train.

More time passed – maybe – before they could make anything out. A white steam engine pulled up next to them and Lily looked at James worriedly.

"What…do you think we should get on?" she whispered.

"Well," he replied slowly, "We're safe from everything now – we're dead. Voldemort can't hurt us, so I think it's safe. But we don't have to get on if you don't want to."

Lily looked back at the train and took a deep breath, squeezing James's hand.

"Let's go."

They stepped onto the train and looked around curiously.

James brought them back down to Earth – so to speak – first.

"What happened to Harry?"

Lily paled. She had been so relieved to see James again that she had forgotten about her son temporarily. The guilt nearly swamped her – she had left her son unprotected and then promptly forgotten about him. Tears swam in her eyes, and seeing them, James hastened to reassure her.

"I'm sure he's fine Lily. We'd have seen him here if he wasn't, you know?"

Lily nodded and allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace. He stroked her hair and rocked them back and forth slightly while praying to Merlin and whoever else that Harry was okay, somehow.

The train started to move, startling them both and making them sit awkwardly onto a bench. A small screen flickered to life in front of them and they watched in awe as a silent scene took place in front of them, showing them Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall talking to Hagrid, who was holding a small bundle that looked like it could be –

"HARRY!" Lily cried, sobbing now out of relief.

The scene continued to play out, showing them little snippets of what they assumed was the future – Harry (who Lily was extraordinarily pleased to see was an almost exact replica of James) meeting a redheaded family, being Sorted, battles with Voldemort, meeting Sirius and Remus, falling in love with the redhead girl, and defeating Voldemort. Both James and Lily were in tears by the time the screen disappeared.

"I'm just so relieved that he's going to be okay!" Lily said softly into James's chest.

"Me too," he murmured, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "And you and I have the rest of forever to be together and be happy."

The train chugged on.

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**Reviews? Por favor?**


	12. Lysander

**WARNING: LOTS OF SWEARING. This individual chapter should probably be rated T or M for language _alone_. Don't say I didn't warn you. :)  
**

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What kind of fucking name, Teddy fumed, was Lily _Scamander_?

Honestly, he thought, it was bad enough that the guy was a smarmy asshole (though Teddy couldn't find anyone who agreed with him on that; everyone else thought he was so _sweet_), but now he had proposed to Lily in front of her entire family with a ginormous fucking ring that was at least six carats. He knew Lily hated those kinds of rings, he _knew_ it, but she looked so radiantly happy that he couldn't bring himself to point this out.

And, he added in his head, they had only been dating for seven months. Seven months! Not nearly long enough for this Lysander ass to really _know_ Lily, not like Teddy did anyways. But nobody could possibly know Lily like Teddy did.

He could do a better job of looking _happy_ for her, Lily thought, looking over at Teddy. He looked like he was _trying_ to be happy but failing miserably. _Stupid asshole_, Lily couldn't help but think.

The smile returned to her face when she looked down at her finger. The ring was beautiful, but Lysander had ignored her hints that she preferred understated rings. If she went swimming with this thing on, she would sink all the way to the fucking bottom.

Everyone in the family was so happy for her, except her dad and Teddy. She could understand her dad – she was only eighteen and getting _married_, and she was his little girl – but Teddy had always been her best friend and her biggest supporter. His refusal to _look_ happy – he didn't have to _feel_ it, for fuck's sake – for her stung far worse than she would let it show.

He just wanted to protect her from getting hurt because he was practically her older brother, he told himself. She was only eighteen and that was _way_ too damn young to get married. Never mind that he had proposed to Victoire at the same age, but that had ended mutually after a two year engagement and no wedding.

But he was just being a big brother, he reassured himself, he was just looking out for her like James or Al would.

Except he strongly doubted that James or Al would be noticing how hot her legs were when she walked downstairs in pajamas shorts in the morning.

Teddy had been almost cold and distant to her in the two weeks since her engagement. She and Lysander had decided on a wedding at the end of September, three months away, and so she and her mum and Aunt Hermione were already looking at wedding dresses and flowers and bridesmaid dresses and food and Lily just felt like her head was going to explode sometimes.

Usually when she felt like this, Teddy was there with some tea and they would talk and Lily felt normal again, but now he was nowhere to be found and so Lily was going to just go take a sleeping potion and sleep till the wedding. Let her mum and Aunt Hermione and all her damn cousins figure out the details.

It was July before Lily spoke to Teddy again, and, boy was she fuming. She showed up at his flat at five in the morning, making sure her Apparition _pop_ was more like a _CRASH_ and she stormed into his kitchen, slamming things around to make tea. After hitting her ring on the ten millionth piece of cookware, Lily yanked it off and set it by the sink.

A bleary-eyed Teddy stumbled into the living room, shirtless and only in plaid pajama bottoms and all Lily could think was _fuck he looks good. But I'm mad at him because he's a goddamn asshole._

She had opened her mouth to yell at him, to spill out the obscenities building in her throat, but they died at the sight of the redhead that followed him out of the door, wearing only one of Teddy's button-up shirts. Thank Merlin it wasn't one of her fucking relatives.

The girl vanished quickly, and neither Teddy nor Lily said anything for awhile. All he could think was _holy shit, she's here, she's pissed, she's probably going to hex my balls off, and damn it all she's still so gorgeous and her ass looks bloody amazing._

"Where," she began in a hiss that was practically Parseltongue, "the bloody hell have you been for the last month and a half? You fucking _vanished_, Teddy!"

"Sorry," he mumbled in response, his mind still on her legs and her ass and everything about her and then it smacked him in the face that _holy fucking Merlin I think I'm in love with her_.

"Sorry? I don't see you or speak to you for ages, and you're supposed to be my best fucking friend, and then I show up and find you after you've spent the night screwing some redheaded slut!"

Why was she a slut? The word had just fallen out of Lily's mouth, but she meant it, although she couldn't tell you why she meant it so damn _strongly_. For Teddy it made him think and hope and pray that maybe, just maybe, Lily was jealous, and if that was the case then there was hope, and there was still another month and a half before the wedding so maybe he could convince her that he was so much better than _Scamander_ and that Lily Lupin was better than Lily Scamander any day.

Before either of them could say anything, Teddy had crossed the room in four or five strides (in a time like this, who was counting?) and pushed Lily back against the counter and kissed her, harder and with more passion than he'd ever kissed anyone, all the while praying that he wasn't wrong and she wasn't about to kick his ass.

Instead she thrust her tongue in his mouth and helped him tug off the light jacket she had worn over there – it was five in the morning and it was _cold, _except that it wasn't anymore as his very _scaldinghot_ hands rubbed up her sides over and then under her shirt.

Teddy gripped the backs of her thighs and lifted her onto the counter, standing between her legs and needing to be closer to her because the slightest amount of air between them was space that her goddamn _fiancé_ could worm his way into and ruin this _perfectohsoperfect_ moment between him and Lily.

A small _clink_ distracted them, although nothing should have distracted them in the state they were in. Lily's shirt was around her chest and not her stomach when they turned their heads and watched Lily's six carat diamond ring swirl down the sink drain. Instantly she shoved Teddy away and tugged at her shirt and began trying to see into the drain to find her ring because _Lysander is going to kill me!_ and so she had to get it back instantly. Teddy's attempts at distractions – his hands on her hips and her ass and his lips on her neck – did nothing and finally she picked up her wand and Summoned the ring, the expensive flashy _piece of shit_ that she had just betrayed, back into her hand.

Lily slid it onto her finger again and turned to look at Teddy and said softly (but she knew he would hear it because he listens to every sound that comes out of her lips) that _this never happened _and _I'm marrying Lysander_ and most painfully _I love him and this was a mistake, Teddy. So don't tell anyone_.

He didn't tell anyone. Instead he moved to Romania and stayed with Charlie and various friends for a long time, talking to dragons and playing with them, and he lost all contact with Lily and everything to do with her. At night she was in his dreams, there was no escaping that, and so he drowned his miseries in dragons and Firewhiskey and vodka during the day.

And since he no longer talked to her or about her he never heard about how beautiful her wedding to Lysander was or what a shame it was that they were divorcing after only eight months (except nobody knew that it was because she had accidentally said someone else's name in bed).

During the divorce proceedings, Lily tried to tell herself that Lysander was right for her and she should be fighting harder to fix their young marriage, except it wasn't the marriage she wanted and it wasn't the man she wanted, and even when Lysander came to her and asked if she would like to maybe go to couples therapy instead of splitting…she said no, because it wasn't right to pretend and play with his heart. Lysander was a sweet guy and he deserved someone who would really love him and that person wasn't Lily anymore.

She waited and prayed for the day that Teddy would come home from Romania and she could tell him everything and tell him she was _sososososososo_ sorry for doing this and then they could talk and everything would be okay.

But Teddy never came home again.

* * *

**M is done. Ideas for N please?**


	13. Marriage

Marriage really wasn't all it was cracked up to be, Teddy thought as he adjusted his head on the armrest of the couch. He and Lily never used to fight so much, and he was going to develop back problems from the number of nights he had slept on the couch in the last two months _alone_.

Not to mention most of their plates had been mended so many times that they were barely holding together – Lily liked to practice her aim, and she frequently pretended that Teddy's head had a giant target on it.

Actually, she was just always pissed at him nowadays. They got into fights over the smallest things, and it escalated into huge yelling matches. There were a lot of things that he had said to her that he really wished he could take back.

Teddy sighed and closed his eyes, absentmindedly tracing over the silver band on his finger.

Things never used to be this strained between them. His mind drifted to their wedding, and honeymoon, and the year after. They were so happy back then. But that was two years ago, and now it seemed like they argued every single night, and over the littlest things that shouldn't even matter. Teddy slept on the couch at least four times a week, and the nights that he did sleep in the bed with her, they didn't even touch, sleeping facing away from each other on opposite sides of the bed.

He tried to remember the last time they had a regular conversation. He couldn't even think of the last time he told her he loved her, or when she last said it to him.

Teddy's eyes shot open – their third anniversary, seven months ago. That was the last time he could clearly remember them telling each other they loved each other. There was something so depressing about this that his chest ached.

Unable to take this, he stood and padded down the hall to their bedroom. Teddy stood inside the door, looking at Lily sleeping. Even with the way things were between them, she was still so gorgeous she took his breath away.

He walked silently over to her and kneeled next to her. His hand acted of its own accord and softly brushed a piece of hair off her face and stroked her jaw.

Lily's eyes fluttered open, and Teddy smiled.

"Hey," he said softly. Instantly, he could see her eyes shutter and her jaw tense, as if preparing for a fight or accusations. This thought made the weight on Teddy's chest grow heavier.

"I love you," he said, stroking her face again.

Lily's eyes became suspicious, and he sighed, hanging his head.

"What's happened to us, Lils? We never used to be like this – all the yelling and fighting and broken plates. You and I could always tell each other everything and talk and we never _ever_ fought. How did we get here?"

Teddy looked back up at Lily and found that her eyes were swimming with tears. But still she said nothing.

He sat down fully, so that he was slightly below eye level for her, and continued.

"I was laying out there, thinking about our wedding and when we were dating, and I realized that we hadn't said that we loved each other in probably the last seven months." He brushed another piece of hair off her face. "So I wanted to come tell you that I love you. And that I would still do anything to make you happy."

They sat there silently for a long moment, just looking at each other. A few tears had slipped out of Lily's eyes and Teddy gently wiped them off her cheeks.

"You would do anything to make me happy?" Teddy nodded, praying she would tell him what he could do to fix this and make everything between them alright again.

"I want a divorce."

Teddy's hand slipped from her cheek and his heart seized. She was still just watching him, as if nothing had passed. Her eyes seemed brighter, and her skin paler.

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, the tightening in his chest making it harder and harder to breathe.

"Is that what you really want?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Yes," came the soft reply. Teddy's eyes slowly opened and he tried not to break down in front of her.

"Is…is this…what would make you happy?" Slowly, Lily nodded, still laying on her side. A few more strands of hair fell onto her cheeks, and Teddy's hand was halfway to them when he stopped, his hand frozen in midair. He had to stop acting like a husband, Teddy reminded himself painfully, because he wouldn't be hers much longer.

Slowly, his hand dropped to his lap, and he exhaled again.

"Okay."

It cost him so much to do it, but Teddy stood and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Teddy stayed with James for the next week – he couldn't bear to be in the same house with Lily, _their_ house, when he knew it was all about to end. James understood, even though he had accused Teddy at first of breaking his baby sister's heart.

The first Sunday Weasley-Potter dinner at the Burrow since his and Lily's separation was painful. She didn't smile nearly as much and wore no make-up, and everyone could tell something was seriously wrong between the two of them, though they hadn't yet told the family about their news. Teddy sat at the opposite end of the rather large table and took pains to avoid looking at her or making eye contact.

After dinner, he slipped outside and breathed in the fresh air, trying not to think about all the times he and Lily had played in this yard when they were younger, best friends in spite of the age difference, and the times they had kissed here when they were older. They had even first made love out by the pond, away from the house and the family.

"Ted?"

He turned at the sound of his godfather's voice, expecting to find him angry, waiting for him to start hurling accusations about how Teddy had broken his daughter's heart and how he was no longer welcome in the family. Instead, he found a sympathetic face, one that clearly said he didn't blame him for what was going on in Teddy's marriage.

"What happened?"

"She wants a divorce," he whispered, his voice breaking on the last word. "She said it would make her happy, and so I told her I wouldn't fight it. I just want her to be happy, Harry. That's all I've ever wanted."

Sighing, Harry gestured to the bench not far from them, and they sank down onto it. Teddy braced his elbows on his knees and thrust his hands through his hair, dark blue like it had been for the last week and a half. Moonlight glinted off his wedding band – he hadn't been able to bring himself to take it off.

"She still wears her too, you know." Teddy's hair flickered red, then back to blue, and he turned his head slightly to look at Harry, who sighed again. "How did the two of you get here?"

Lily watched the two of them talk for awhile, her eyes raking over his profile almost hungrily. His hair was that depressing blue that she hated – she had seen it only a few times since they had known each other. The first night she told him to sleep on the couch flashed through her mind, Teddy's shocked face and suddenly deep blue hair prevalent. Lily couldn't help but think that she missed the happy turquoise or red he usually sported.

Finally, Harry stood and walked away after clapping a hand on his godson's back.

Teddy pulled the covers up over him as he tried to go to sleep. James was temporarily allowing him the use of the extra bedroom in his flat, but only for a few weeks he had warned.

He scrubbed his hands over his face and closed his eyes, trying in vain to drift off to sleep.

A small _pop_ echoed through the room, causing Teddy to sit up and reach for his wand.

"Teddy?"

He froze in the action of raising his wand.

"Lily? What – what are you doing here?" He heard a choked sound that sounded like a sob, and before he had moved an inch, she had flung herself at him, knocking them both backwards onto the bed. Lily buried her face in his chest as she cried, and Teddy took the opportunity to press his face to her hair, inhaling her sweet scent and being happy that he had one more chance to hold her.

"I'm so, so sorry," she was sobbing into his shirt, her voice muffled. "I don't want the divorce, I don't, it would make me so miserable to not be your wife anymore. _Please_, Teddy, please tell me you don't want us to get divorced, I need you and I love you, and I'm so, so, so sorry."

Teddy could scarcely believe his ears. She didn't want the divorce. She wanted them to stay married. He felt like a balloon was inflating in his chest, like he could float straight up to the sky, taking Lily with him.

He looked at her face, which was swollen and puffy from crying. Her slender hands had come up to grasp his face, and she was searching his eyes desperately. Teddy smiled and reached up, covering her hands with his own. With a jolt of happiness, he realized that Harry had been right – Lily hadn't taken off her wedding ring either. His hair practically glowed turquoise in the darkness of the room.

"No, Lily. I never wanted the divorce. I only agreed to it because you said it would make you happy, and that's the only thing that matters to me."

A smile broke through on Lily's face, illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window.

"Take me home," she said softly. "Take me home and hold me and just tell me you love me and you'll never leave me."

Teddy gladly obliged, and the next morning, waking up with Lily wrapped in his arms with her legs tangled with his was the happiest feeling he'd had since they got married.

* * *

**N is complete, but I have ZERO ideas for the letter O. Reviews please!**


	14. No

"Hey, Lily."

Lily didn't even bother turning her head to look at the boy standing next to her.

"Go _away_, Potter."

He sat down in the chair across from her. She sighed, but still didn't look up from her Potions essay.

James sighed as well, and ran his hand through his hair out of habit.

"Lily."

No response.

"_Lily._"

"What?"

James sighed again and leaned back in his chair. "Can you at least _look_ at me?"

Reluctantly, she looked up at him. He was simply staring at her, none of the arrogance or confidence that he'd displayed for the last five and a half years evident for once. James leaned forward and placed his arms on the table, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Okay look. I get that you hate me, that you think I'm an arrogant toerag, that you would rather date the Giant Squid, blah blah blah. And you seem surprised that I remember your words from the end of last year. Believe me Lily, they've been haunting me.

"But," he continued, now looking at his hands instead of at her and praying that he didn't start blushing, "I'm going to ask you out again, one more time. There's nobody around, we are sitting here having a fairly civil conversation – at least on my part, since you haven't said anything – and I haven't pranked anyone in at least a month. I've even left Sniv…_Snape_ alone. If you say no this time, then I will accept the fact that you really don't want to go out with me, and I will leave you alone. I won't even try to be friends with you. I will give up completely."

James took a deep breath and chanced a glance up at Lily. She sat there, seemingly impassive, but he could tell by her extremely enchanting emerald eyes [try saying that five times fast] that she was surprised.

"Lily Evans…will you please, _please_, come with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?" He held his breath and looked at her.

Lily was in complete shock. Here he was, asking her out like a regular person, without any crazy declarations or gifts or any of the insanity he usually presented.

_Say yes. You know you want to_.

What happens if I say yes? We go out, we snog, and then he dumps me for the next girl that catches his fancy? I don't think so.

_Or you go out, you snog, and it turns out he really is in love with you like he always said._

I don't know…

_Come on, Lily, live a little! Take a chance! He's being real with you for the first time since the two of you met!_

I guess. I just don't trust him, and I can't have a relationship with someone I don't trust.

_Well how about you just take it one day – or one date – at a time, and not think about it being a 'relationship', how about that?_

That might work.

_Okay, now stop staring at him like an idiot and say yes!_

"No."

_What the hell?_

It just slipped out! It's a habit after all these years, I swear!

Before she could even open her mouth to correct her mistake, James's demeanor changed. His eyes became harder and colder and his jaw tensed, his hands sliding off the table. He nodded briskly and stood up.

"See you in class, Evans." And he was gone, leaving Lily to clap a hand to her mouth and let loose a string of muffled curse words.

_If you have missed out on your soulmate, don't blame me._

Shut it, would you?

* * *

**O is in progress...P is complete...but what to do for Q? Ideas please! Review, please!**


	15. Observations

**The idea for this one came from _lilyevans103_. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

He couldn't help but watch her. Her brothers called it 'stalking' but Teddy called it 'observing'. And learning, although there wasn't much about Lily Luna that he didn't already know.

He would 'observe' her at every opportunity – whenever he was over at the Potters, he would find her playing Quidditch with James, Al, Harry, and Ginny, or curled up reading a book, or pigging out on something.

Teddy couldn't tell you why he watched her so much – although a voice in the back of his head told him he knew exactly why – but he enjoyed it. She was entertaining.

One day, though, she caught him.

Lily had been running around, doing cartwheels in the field behind the Potter residence, and acting like a twelve year old instead of a nineteen year old, a trait that Teddy found adorable. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed when she left the field, and he hadn't heard her walking up behind him.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Teddy looked behind him to see Lily standing there, hands on her hips and a smile on her face. The wind was blowing her long red hair all over the place. "A spy, it seems." She plopped down on the ground next to him.

"I wasn't spying!" Lily arched an eyebrow, and Teddy rolled his eyes. "I was…observing."

"Oh, so that's what they call it nowadays."

They sat in silence for awhile.

"Who is she, Teddy?"

Pulling out of his thoughts yet again, Teddy turned to look at her. Lily continued to gaze out at the field and the trees beyond it.

"What?"

"Who is she? The girl that's been making you so happy these last few months."

Teddy's brow creased, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "I'm lost."

Lil sighed. "Your hair is neon green. That means you're really, really happy, or even in love. If you are just everyday happy, then it's turquoise."

Teddy turned his whole body to face her. "You know me so well, you think you can tell me what my hair color means?" Lily smiled and nodded. "Okay," he continued, "when you're distracted, you don't speak and you play with this strand of hair," he tugged on a piece by her ear.

"You suck at basic household spells and you blame it on your mom's genes because you heard how bad she was at them."

"You are better at Quidditch than you let on and you wish you had tried out for Seeker at school."

"You always say you hate Quidditch, but really you love it, you're just afraid of heights."

"Stories about Lord Voldemort gave you nightmares until you were fifteen. You were afraid he was going to come take you to the Chamber of Secrets like he took your mum."

Lily was now facing him and smiling, enjoying the challenge. "Sometimes you think that you should have gotten to use the Marauders' Map at school because you are Moony's son."

"You can't decide if you want to cut your hair or keep growing it out."

"You wish you had better control over your hair's color-changing."

"When you were fourteen you stole some of James's hidden Firewhiskey stash."

"You were relieved that you were never made Prefect or Head Boy."

"And you secretly wanted to be both. Head Girl, though, not Head Boy."

"You were happy with Victoire, but you were never as in love with her as you thought you should be, and part of you thinks you stayed with her for so long to make the family happy."

On impulse, Teddy leaned forward and captured Lily's lips with his. She remained motionless for a moment before easing her hands up Teddy's arms. His hands held her face gently until he pulled away.

Breathlessly he said, "You've wanted me to do that for years."

Lily slowly opened her eyes and looked at Teddy. Smiling, she replied softly, "You're in love with me." Teddy pulled back slightly, thinking for a moment. Lily bit her lip, watching him and praying she wasn't wrong.

He looked at her and smiled before leaning in again and pressing his lips to hers. "You bite your lip when you're afraid that you've done or said something that was wrong or stupid. And yes, I am in love with you."

* * *

**So, I know I've been really bad about mentioning who gave me ideas for what chapter! And I feel bad about it. Sometimes people give me a gazillion ideas, and I don't use any, which also makes me feel bad. Here is who has given me prompt or story ideas so far:  
Ch 3, Christmas - ModernDayRapunzel  
Ch 7, Green - Nymphadora Potter  
Ch 9, Insecurity - ModernDayRapunzel  
Ch 10, Jealousy - NatalieWeasley  
Ch 13, Marriage - .Alice & NatalieWeasley  
And a billions of thanks and cookies to PPFK, who has reviewed practically every chapter and gave me tons of ideas at the very beginning. :)**

**Anyway, reviews, and ideas for...U-Z!**


	16. Pain

**Please read A/N at bottom!**

* * *

"I love you, Lily."

"I love you too."

Behind the pair, James froze, and tried to pretend that he was hallucinating, that he hadn't just heard those words come from Lily Evans's mouth aimed at the seventh year Ravenclaw walking next to her. The Ravenclaw that James himself had set her up with five months ago.

His heart seemed to halt along with his feet. The pair in front of him walked on, oblivious to the crushing pain that had taken up residence in his chest.

"Prongs?"

James turned and came face to face with Sirius and Remus, both of whom were looking at him with concern.

"She's…she's in _love_ with him." He wasn't sure how he managed to get the words out, but both of his friends' eyes widened and they each reached out to grasp his shoulders.

Somehow, he was back in the Heads Common Room, with Remus sitting next to him and Sirius standing in front of them both.

"James," Remus said hesitantly, "are you…okay?" Swallowing hard, James shook his head and ran both of his hands through his already messy hair.

"It's my fault," he croaked. "It's all my fault. I set them up together, I got him to ask her out and I got her to say yes."

"Why would you do that?" Sirius exclaimed.

James swallowed again, feeling more and more like he was going to throw up. "She…she never believed me when I told her I loved her. She wanted me to…prove it. Let her go out with someone else. I told her I would do better – I set her up with that bloke she's been dating, Lucas something or other. My actual plan was for her to-"

His words were cut off by the sound of the portrait opening. Remus stood and turned to face Lily, who had just entered, a smile playing across her face – it disappeared when she took in the scene before her.

"Guys, could I have a second with James?"

Simply hearing his first name come from her lips when for so long they had been on a last name basis sent a small spasm of pain through his chest.

Wordlessly, Sirius and Remus clapped James on the back and left. James stood and walked to the window, leaning his forehead against the cool windowpane.

"James?"

Sighing, he turned to face her. Even his mixed emotions couldn't keep him from seeing how undeniably gorgeous she was – she was _glowing_ with happiness, and he tried not to focus on the fact that he was indirectly the cause of it. He wanted her to be happy, he did, but he wanted her to be happy with _him_.

Lily surprised him when she reached forward and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her forehead into his chest. He hesitated only a second before wrapping his arms around her as well and resting his chin on the top of her head. James couldn't help but notice that her hair smelled like fresh citrus.

She pulled away too soon in James opinion, and his hands slid down her arms slightly.

"Thank you James," she said softly. His brows furrowed in confusion. "For setting me up with Lucas," she clarified, "and for not making it difficult for us. Thank you for moving on."

James laughed wryly and dropped his hands, turning away from her and bracing his arms against the wall on either side of the window.

"I haven't _moved on_, Lily." He could practically feel the confusion emanating off of her.

"What…what do you mean?"

James sighed and leaned his forehead against the windowpane again. "When I set the two of you up, I didn't expect you to actually _fall_ for him. I knew you liked him but…but I thought you would see that he was wrong for you."

Lily said nothing, and he turned to face her again. She couldn't help but feel shocked at the utterly heartbroken look on his face.

"James, I…I don't-"

"What? You don't get it Lily? You _still_ don't understand?" The look on his face became one of anger, his tone furiously bitter.

"I'm in love with you! How else do I have to prove it to you? What else do you want me to do?" His voice was slowly raising and Lily flinched. "I've already asked you out, stuck up for you, given you flowers, I set you up with another guy and stood by and watched the two of you together! I was standing behind you in the hall today when you told him you loved him! Do you have any idea what that did to me?" He paused for a minute, his chest heaving, and her eyes filled with tears. James's gut gave a painful twinge – he could never stand to see her cry and he hated being the cause of it.

"You and him…you were supposed to see that he was wrong for you, all wrong. You were always supposed to be with _me_. Never with him – with _me_, Lily. He says he loves you, but the two of you have only been together for five months and I know he doesn't love you like I do because nobody can. Lily," his tone became pleading and he took a step towards her, grasping her hands in his. She looked down at them and then back up at his face. "I know you don't really love him, not like you should. Do you feel _something_ for me, _anything_?"

Lily looked at him, at the hope that was showing itself on his face despite his best efforts and all she could say was

"No."

His heart shattered in his eyes. Lily had to fight not to cry at the utterly heartbroken, defeated look that had taken over his face.

"I'm sorry James. I love Lucas, I really do. I never wanted to hurt you, and I'm-"

James turned and walked to his room, leaving Lily in the middle in her sentence. The door closed behind him and he sank down onto the floor, leaning against it with his elbows on his knees and his head back. _Where did I go wrong?_ He couldn't help but think.

Lily looked at the door and wiped at the tear sliding down her cheek.

She wished she hadn't lied to him.

* * *

**I recently noticed that only a few of my chapters in this story are really happy, and this one definitely isn't, so I am doing my best to make all of the rest of them happy. So I hope you enjoyed this depressing one ;) because the rest of the chapters should be happyhappyhappy...well maybe only happyhappy. :)  
Reviews, yes? Still welcoming ideas for U-Z!**


	17. Questions

**The idea for this chapter is courtesy of _lilyevans103_.**

* * *

"Look what I swiped from Slughorn!" Sirius crowed, holding up a small vial of clear liquid, making the other Marauders looked up in interest.

The bottle was yanked out of his hand before he could even blink.

"Look what I confiscated from Sirius!" Lily said, imitating his triumphant tone. Sirius attempted to snatch the bottle back, but Lily simply stepped away and he fell over the back of the couch.

"Bye!" she called over her shoulder, heading out the portrait hole and down the hall towards the Heads Common Room. Sighing, James stood up and followed her.

"Lily!" he called, but predictably she only walked faster. He picked up his pace, nearly jogging, and caught up with her as she was murmuring the password. The statue turned aside and James followed Lily into their shared common room.

"Was it really necessary to take it?"

Lily turned and looked at him incredulously. "From Sirius? Yes, I think it was, before unsuspecting students found themselves spouting their secrets after breakfast."

"Please," James scoffed. "The most Sirius was planning on using it for was a game of Truth or Dare with me and the other Marauders and maybe some of the girls from our year and sixth year. Nothing too terrible. Can I please take it back to him?"

"No."

James threw up his hands in frustration. "Damn Lily, you are such a stick in the mud! Don't you ever just let loose and do something risky? Let down your hair, break the rules?"

Lily clenched her jaw, holding the little glass vial tighter. She spun to face him, no longer looking out the window.

"Fine," she said tersely, and tossed him the vial. "If I'm such a stick in the mud…forget Sirius and the others. How about you and I play Truth? No Dare, just questions with the Veritaserum."

James's eyes widened behind his glasses and he nodded. Lily disappeared into her room and reappeared a few minutes later, dressed in a tank top and cut-off sweats. She sat down on one end of the couch, facing him with her knees drawn up. James handed her the Veritaserum before disappearing into his own room to change into pajamas. He returned and sat on the other end, mimicking her position.

"Ready?"

She nodded and uncorked the vial, carefully pouring three drops down her throat. She handed it to James and he did the same.

"What's your favorite color?"

James arched an eyebrow. "Seriously, Lils?" She ignored the nickname and nodded.

"It's just a small test to make sure that it's working. So, what is your favorite color?"

"Green." Lily observed him – no signs of pain, so he wasn't lying.

"What's your favorite animal?" James folded his arms and leaned back on the couch, pretending like this wasn't an important question.

"A doe." James's heart leapt, and he tried too hard not to look overexcited. "What's yours?"

"A stag." Lily arched her eyebrow, but didn't say anything. James didn't even try to smother the smile on his face now. She sighed. They were silent for awhile, and James had a sudden inspiration.

"Smiles," he said loudly and clearly. Lily looked at him confusedly, but a loud _pop_ sounded through the room and a small house-elf appeared standing before them.

"Master Jamesy!" it squeaked, bowing to both of them. James smiled, the first genuine smile Lily had ever really seen from him.

"Hey Smiles. Can you bring Lily and I some hot cocoa? With marshmallows?" Smiles nodded, bowed, and disappeared with a _crack_.

"My family house-elf," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He gestured outside, where it was snowing. "I figured it was appropriate." Lily smiled and nodded, and they lapsed into silence.

_CRACK_.

"Here is Master Jamesy and Master Jamesy's lady friend's hot cocoa!"

"Thank you Smiles," James said kindly. The house elf grinned, bowed, and Disapparated. James handed Lily her mug and one of the two small bowls of marshmallows. They stared into the fire for a moment before James remembered what they had been doing.

"Do you think the Veritaserum is still working?" Lily turned to looked at him and nodded. "Okay…so let's get back to the questions. If that's okay with you, that is." She nodded again and dropped a few marshmallows into her cocoa before sipping it. James shifted so he was sitting cross-legged.

"I believe it's my turn," she said, still staring at the fire. "Out of all the Marauders, who is _really_ your best friend?"

"Sirius," he said without hesitation. "We might as well be brothers – we can practically read each other's minds. Why is a doe your favorite animal?"

"Because they're so gentle and beautiful, and it's my Patronus." James sat forward slightly at this information. "Really?"

Lily nodded. "Why is your favorite color green?"

"Because it's the color of your eyes." Lily blushed, and wondered why it felt like there was something fluttering in her stomach.

She covered her smile by taking a sip of her cocoa.

"Have you ever been in love?" The question just kind of slipped out of his mouth, but he couldn't help but lean forward, waiting for her answer.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't. And I know you were hoping I would say yes and that I was in love with you, but-"

"Lily," he interrupted, "I wasn't expecting that. I was actually praying you would say no, because if you had been in love with someone else that would have killed me."

There was that fluttering again.

"Have you? Been in love, I mean?"

James hesitated, and there was a painful twinge in his gut, reminding him that the potion was still in effect. "Yes."

Lily blushed and turned to look at the fire. "Anyone I know?"

James arched an eyebrow. "You have to ask, Lily?"

"Well," she replied, taking a sip of her hot cocoa, "I always sort of assumed that you were just saying that to get me to go out with you or something. I thought it was about the chase – I had no idea that you might actually have feelings for me."

James let out a wry laugh and rubbed a hand over his face. "Don't you think that if it was about the chase, I would have given up after the first few months? A guy can only take so much. But I pursued you for nearly four years, Lily."

They didn't say anything for a moment, then James decided to drop the subject and not make her any more uncomfortable.

"Do you really think I'm a stick in the mud?" She asked, staring into her mug. James hesitated, not sure of how to phrase his answer, knowing that he had no choice but to be honest.

"Not exactly," he said and then paused. "I definitely think that you should relax a little more and try to do more things outside your comfort zone and not be such a stickler for the rules all the time. But at the same time, those are things that make you who you are and I don't want you to change." Lily nodded.

"Your turn," she said softly, and he decided to ask something that wasn't like the emotional, thought-provoking questions they had already asked.

"What's your favorite class?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Transfiguration," she replied and James's jaw dropped.

"Really? I figured it was Charms or Potions." Lily simply smiled and sipped her hot cocoa.

"Same question."

"Charms." Lily raised her eyebrow but didn't say anything, just shifting and tucking her legs up under her.

"Do you have any regrets?" James asked, hoping he wasn't blushing too terribly.

Lily looked at the fire for a moment before pain began slowly twisting at her stomach, and she sighed. "My relationship with my sister Petunia – I should have tried harder to keep us close, but when she started pushing me away and ignoring me, I didn't really do much. I just sort of went with it." She sighed again and sipped her hot cocoa. "Do you have any regrets?" She turned to look at him and he smiled.

"The first time I asked you out, actually. And the fact that I didn't apologize for it until a few months ago." He paused, then added, "I really am sorry about the way I asked you out. I was an ass about it, and I should have done it without all the people around, especially Snape."

Lily reached over and grabbed his hand gently, squeezing it before releasing it and leaving both of their hands tingling. "It's okay. And I shouldn't have blamed you for what happened between me and Sev – that would have happened anyways."

They lapsed into silence again.

"If I had asked you out differently that first time," James said softly, "would you have said yes?"

She gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "It wasn't just about the way that you asked me out, but about the person you were then. I couldn't trust that person, nor would I want to, and without trust, you can't really have much of a relationship, you know?"

"What about the person I am now? Would you give him a chance?" His voice was barely above a whisper, and he held his breath, not sure what she was going to say.

"Yes," she replied, surprising herself, "I would." James fought – and lost – against the huge smile spreading across his face. He leaned over and placed his nearly empty mug of hot cocoa on the table in front of them, prompting her to do the same. Turning back to face her, he scooted closer and draped his arm across the back of the couch.

"Well then," he said, taking a deep breath, "Lily Evans, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his for a moment.

"Yes," she repeated, slightly breathlessly, "I would."

* * *

**Ideas for V-Z! Gracias!**


	18. Roommates

"Honey, I'm home!"

Lily cracked a smile at her new roommate's voice.

"Very funny, Ted," she called back down the hall. "But I don't think Victoire would appreciate hearing that directed at me. Especially since, if she has her way about it, you will be living with her and married to her before long. And then," she continued, faking a sob, "we will never see each other again!"

Teddy leaned against the doorframe and watched Lily rummage through her drawers. She was still trying to remember where everything was – they had only moved their things in a few days ago, and this would be their first actual night living together, a fact Teddy's girlfriend of a year and a half (and Lily's cousin) wasn't very happy about. And she didn't exactly keep it to herself either, constantly dropping subtle and not-so-subtle hints about how she and Teddy should be the ones living together.

But he had confided in Lily not long ago that Victoire sometimes drove him insane and he couldn't imagine living with her, let alone marrying her.

"Aha!" Lily cried as she pulled out a pair of black shorts. "Found my pajamas!" She turned to face Teddy. "Leave."

He arched an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes and added, "Please?" Smirking, he turned and strolled back down the hallway, chuckling and rubbing the back of his neck.

Lily had been his best friend since the day she was born. It was a family classic – Teddy went into the hospital room with James and Albus to visit the newest addition to the family; Lily had looked around at all of them with wide eyes and reached for Teddy. When he finally handed her back to her father, she let out a loud wail and her little face took on a look of complete abandonment. And since then, they had been inseparable.

Teddy settled himself in the living room of their three bedroom flat, propping his feet up on the table and reaching for the remote. Harry had shown all his children (and nieces and nephews and god-children) how to use a Muggle TV, and Lily and Teddy had always loved to sit and watch it. Their favorite show? Hell's Kitchen.

He flicked through the channels until he found it.

"LIL!" He shouted down the hall. "Hell's Kitchen!"

"Coming!" She flew down the hall and threw herself onto the couch. "I'm so excited for this season! Teddy?"

For Teddy had been staring, mouth agape, at Lily's legs. The shorts she had held up back in her room had looked much longer then than they did now – they barely touched the tops of her thighs! Teddy may have known Lily for nineteen and a half years, but he had never seen her like this.

It took a few tries to get his attention focused back on the television, and even when he did, he kept stealing glances over at Lily. She repeatedly crossed and uncrossed her legs, stretching them out, then pulling them back in and sitting on them. It was like she was trying to torture him.

How was this possible? Lily was his _best friend_! He had a girlfriend! But, he reasoned with himself, it wasn't like he was going to do anything with Lily. He was just a little…attracted to her, that's all. Her and her damn legs.

Except that he couldn't _just_ be attracted to her, he knew her too well. But he has a girlfriend, he kept reminding himself. He has a girlfriend.

Well…he _had_ a girlfriend. After she walked in on Teddy and Lily stargazing and looking kind of romantic and _very_ comfortable laying on the ground next to each other, she dumped him. Not that he minded, except that now he didn't really have anything standing in the way of him and Lily and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Teddy," Lily said, turning to look at him one night over dinner, "are you okay? Since Victoire broke up with you, I mean?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I am. I was actually starting to think about breaking up with her myself, I just had to figure out how to do it. I keep waiting for your Uncle Bill to show up here ready to curse me."

They were silent for a moment.

"Why were you going to break up with Victoire?" Lily asked when she couldn't stand it any longer. Teddy paused and thought for a moment.

"Well, she drives me nuts because she's so clingy and possessive." He stopped there, unsure of how much else to say, but Lily was looking at him as if to say "What else?"

"And," he continued, taking a deep breath, "I think I have feelings for someone else."

"Oh."

They didn't say anything else through dinner, and when they sat down to watch Hell's Kitchen, they were less talkative than they had ever been since they had known each other. Immediately after it was over, Lily announced she was going to bed.

"Whoever she is, Teddy, she's really lucky," she said over her shoulder as she walked towards her room. He could have rolled his eyes at how oblivious she was sometimes, but then again it wasn't as if he was Captain Obvious himself.

At ten o'clock, Teddy was restless and unable to sleep, wondering what Lily was thinking about this supposed girl he was interested in. He could no longer resist rolling out of bed and walking down the hall to Lily's room. He knocked softly, and was surprised to hear "Come in." Teddy opened the door and stepped towards Lily's bed.

He bumped into a few things but finally managed to find the edge of her bed and sit down.

"Lils," he began hesitantly, before just saying "Bugger it" and finding her lips. She froze for a second, then relaxed and her arms drifted around his neck.

Moving in with her was the best decision he'd ever made.

* * *

**I know the ending of this is not the best, but I kept getting stuck and so I had to kind of force it out. I will hopefully be updating this story a lot and I hope to have it finished within two or three weeks so that I can spend more time on _Nine_. [Shameless Advertising Alert] Go check it out if you haven't already :)**

**Ideas for V-Z? Please?**


	19. Serendipitous

**The idea for this chapter comes from _howlsatthemoon_.**

* * *

"This is nice."

"Yeah," he murmured, stroking her hair. "I like this. It's calm, just the two of us over here by the lake, and we just have our own little world." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "It's so…serendipitous."

They were silent for a moment, before Lily burst into laughter, leaving James sitting behind her confusedly.

"James," she gasped, speaking in between laughs. "That's not…how…you use…serendipitous!" She turned around slightly, still giggling. His brows pulled together in confusion, and he looked so adorable that she leaned back and kissed him quickly before pulling back. He smiled.

"What did you say? I couldn't understand what you were saying through all the _giggles_." She smiled and kissed him again.

"I _said_, that's not how you use serendipitous." She completely turned her body around so she was facing him, and straddled his lap. He rested his hands on her hips and thought for a second.

"Are you sure? It sounds right."

"I think," she replied, smoothing some hair back from his forehead, "that you are thinking of _serene_."

"Oh…then what does serendipitous mean?"

Lily thought for a moment and then planted a quick kiss on his lips before answering, "It means someone being lucky in making unlikely and fortunate discoveries."

"Oh."

They were silent for a moment, just gazing at each other, and Lily felt a warm fluttering in her stomach.

"So what would be a serendipitous situation?" James asked softly, pushing a strand of hair behind Lily's ear. She thought for a moment, biting her lip in concentration.

"If I found a massive pile of Galleons somewhere – it's extremely lucky and extremely unlikely." Lily replied, turning back and resuming her original position of laying in front of James, her back against his chest. He looped his arms around her waist tightly.

They stayed there for a few more hours, watching the sunset and all the other students gradually head inside. It was April so it was cool but not cold, and nearly the entire Hogwarts population had been outside enjoying the weather.

Finally, as a crescent moon and several stars made their appearance, James reluctantly sat up behind Lily and then stood, holding out his hand to help her up. She took it and laced her fingers through his as they began walking back towards the school.

Giggling for no reason other than sheer happiness, Lily twirled under James arm and began walking backwards, watching him. He laughed and tugged her back to him, slinging his arm around her waist.

He walked her to the foot of the girls' staircase and wrapped his arms around her, not wanting to say anything to ruin the _serene_ moment. She sighed and buried her head in his chest.

"You know Lils," he said finally, "I think I used the right word earlier." She looked up at him and wrinkled her nose in confusion. "When I said serendipitous, but you said serene was more correct…I think serendipitous is appropriate here. Because I was lucky and made a very fortunate and unlikely discovery not long ago."

"Okay," she said slowly, drawing out the word. "And what was this discovery?"

He leaned down so that they were only inches apart. "That you love me," he whispered. Lily smiled and reached up to kiss him.

"I do love you James Potter."

"I love you, too." They kissed again until a retching sound behind them made them break apart and turn. The two of them saw Sirius standing behind them, looking thoroughly nauseated.

"The two of you are so disgustingly cute, I think I'm going to lose my dinner." He smacked James good-naturedly on the back, tugging him away. James looked back over his shoulder as he and Sirius started up the staircase and smiled at Lily, watching her until the two of them were out of sight.

Lily touched her lips and sighed.

"Serendipity." She smiled, thinking that maybe James was right.

* * *

**I have been suffering from the worst case of writer's block ever. This chapter took me FOREVER and I'm also trying to work on _Nine_ and stay ahead of what I have posted. Next chapter for that story should be up tomorrow, if I remember.  
The end of this chapter was getting too cheesy for my liking, so what better to solve that problem than Sirius?  
AAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNDDDDDDD...IDEAS STILL NEEDED FOR V-Z! Like I said, _really_ bad writer's block, so I need all the ideas I can get, and I will love you forever! Thank you thank you thank you!**


	20. Twenty Years

**Sorry for the delay - here you go!**

* * *

Twenty years. _Twenty years_. It keeps ringing in your ears – you've been married for _twenty years_.

And it's kind of funny, because nobody expected the two of you to make it this long, to still be in love and have had kids and just be _together_.

But you are, and at your anniversary party you and Lily have smug looks on your faces, pretty much saying to everyone _We told you so_ because they all doubted you and your relationship. _You're too old for her…You got married too fast…In a year or so, you'll both realize that this is simply a rebound relationship_. They all said that, they all took you each aside and asked you over and over and over and over if this was what you wanted until all you wanted was for them to choke on their words.

Now it's been twenty years, twenty years of you and Lily and happiness and love and laughter and, okay so there were a few rough patches in there, but _you made it_ and that's really all that matters.

Sometimes you were worried that your family was right, and that this was a rebound relationship. Not for you, because you had fallen out of love with Victoire long before Lily and Lysander split, and you were really more worried that she would want out in six months whenever Lysander asked for yet another chance.

And he asked, he begged, he pleaded, he even got onto bended knee right in front of you and proposed to your _wife_, but she simply said no and went back to making dinner for the two of you. The stupid asshole didn't give up until Lily was pregnant with your fourth child, and then it finally seemed to hit him that the two of you were together for good.

You look down at her and place a kiss to the top of her head, still getting butterflies when she looks up and smiles at you and the entire party seems to melt away until someone clears their throat. You both look up to meet the bemused gaze of your godfather, who has stood and seems about make a speech.

And he does – Harry Potter may not have liked public speaking or being forced to talk about the war, but he has no problem talking about his only daughter and his favorite godson. His messy black hair is now gray and your youngest daughter Jamie tugs on his hand and laughing, your mother-in-law tugs her into her lap and makes her sit still and listen.

You lose track of what Harry is saying because Lily is slowly stroking her thumb over your hand and it's driving you to distraction and she knows it.

Harry is finally done talking and as everyone claps you lean over and kiss her gently like everyone expects you to, except you would have done it anyways because you have this incessant need to kiss her whenever possible.

_Finally_ everyone leaves, Harry and Ginny taking your two youngest with you – the two oldest have Flooed back to Hogwarts for the remainder of the winter holidays – and then it's just the two of you, like it hasn't been in so long. You help her clean up, although you do more staring at her than actual cleaning because _damn it all_ she's still so insanely gorgeous. She has a few threads of gray in her hair and lines at the edges of her eyes, but you never see them because when you look at her you see the teenage girl who stole your heart completely and never for a second considered giving it back. In your eyes she's nineteen again and you've first realized that she is more than your best friend, except you are both with other people and it's another four years before both of you are free and then she's all yours.

You have known her almost your whole life and certainly all of hers and so when you hold her now, tugging the blankets more securely around her in case she gets chilly (because it's not like either of you are wearing any clothes), it surprises you how much time has really passed. She's forty-three and you're fifty-three almost fifty-four and you still have another fifty or sixty or even seventy years together, and then all of eternity after that.

So really, what is twenty years?

* * *

**Ideas please! V-Z! I have no idea what to do! Thank you lots!**


	21. Unicorn

**Idea came from _shroomy-eyes_**

* * *

Ever since she had been born, her favorite thing in the entire _universe_ (other than her best friend) had been unicorns. She had unicorn stuffed animals, a unicorn bedspread, and countless other things.

Even as she grew older, and she became a teenager and started going to Hogwarts, unicorns remained her favorite thing. She couldn't wait until third year when she could start taking Care of Magical Creatures and hopefully actually see one – maybe even pet it?

They didn't begin to study unicorns until fifth year, and by then, her knowledge of them (and her collection of items portraying them) had grown impressively.

Another thing she loved? Quidditch. She was as good at it, surprising nearly everyone in the school, and had even seriously begun to consider playing professionally.

There was a game the weekend before her Care of Magical Creatures class was supposed to start learning about unicorns, and while she played spectacularly, a Slytherin beater decided to hit a last minute Bludger at her, seconds after her best friend caught the Snitch. She didn't see it coming, and as a result, ended up in the hospital wing, unconscious for three days.

By the time she was released, she had missed all of her classes for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Her boyfriend, sweetheart that he was, had diligently taken notes for her and brought them to her, helping her study to complete the assignments and catch up.

But nothing could lift her depression over missing the class featuring her favorite animal. And when she went to Hogsmeade with her best friend (instead of her boyfriend for once), he could visibly see her distress. Since she was little he had promised both himself and her that he would always have her back and would do whatever he could to make her happy. He usually succeeded far better than anyone else in her family, some of whom could care less.

Knowing her sixteenth birthday was coming up in a month, only two days after summer holidays started, he began owling people, asking for their help. He had a plan, he just needed other people's help to implement it.

Finally, the letter he was waiting for arrived.

The school year ended – Gryffindor had won yet another Quidditch Cup, while Ravenclaw had taken home the House Cup. There was the usual flurry of turning in last minute assignments as well as groaning about the ones that were assigned over the holidays.

She was happy to be home, she really was, but still her disappointment lingered. Maybe she was being overdramatic, because yes, she had missed the lesson, but it wasn't like that would be her only opportunity to ever see a unicorn. She did her best to convince herself that there would be other chances, but a voice in the back of her head reminded her that those chances really were far and few between.

The surprise was all set up, and he was so excited. It took a little doing, but he managed to drag her away from her family and her birthday celebration for just long enough to Apparate her to a house out in the countryside. He didn't knock on the door, instead simply walking around to the back, where a large paddock stretched out so far neither of them could see where the fence line ended.

"Just wait," he told her. They both stared out into the night, looking for something that only he really knew. Slightly spooked, she slipped her hand into his and he squeezed it reassuringly.

After what seemed like forever, the soft thud of hooves could be heard, and they both turned their heads to look.

Cantering towards them was a pure white unicorn. He could practically hear her jaw drop, and she began squeezing his hand tighter and tighter, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.

The unicorn came to a stop in front of them, eyeing them warily. From his pocket, he pulled an apple and handed it to her, letting her feed the creature. She released his hand and stepped forward with the apple extended in front of her. Sniffing it, the unicorn took a bite.

While it continued to munch, she stroked its mane, her delight clearly shown on her face. She turned to look at him, and he smiled as well, happy to see her happy.

"Happy Birthday," he said softly. She grinned, and reached out to hold his hand again. The apple was gone, but the unicorn stood there, content to be stroked and petted.

"Thank you James."

"Anything for you Lily."

* * *

**Betcha were thinking it was Lily/Teddy, weren't you? Haha, I started writing it that way and then changed it halfway through. This one is more AU because it's more along the lines of L/J are best friends instead of Lily/Sev.  
Anyway, I've started writing V, I need ideas for W,X,& Z. PLEASE! Otherwise it will take me so much longer to update!  
Speaking of updates, please go check my profile and read my most recent note. Thank you!**


	22. Voodoo

**I think this is my favorite out of all the chapters. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Stupid…bloody…James…Potter." Lily huffed. Between each word, she poked the little doll in front of her in the stomach. Once, she even flicked his messy head.

One may wonder exactly what was going on in her head, and why she was holding a miniature James Potter doll in her hand – homemade, to be exact. Allow me to explain.

You see, Lily's best friend Marlene had found a book in the library explaining the concept of voodoo. The two had giggle over it, joking about using it on James and his best friend Sirius. Neither of them were serious (no pun intended) about actually trying it until Lily came across James snogging another girl. Rather than depress her, as it frequently did now, she got slightly…_pissed_ and decided to try out this voodoo thing.

Following the books exact instructions, she had created a small James Potter. Messy hair, glasses, Gryffindor robes and all. She had even done the optional…option, and had Summoned a piece of hair from James's dorm, sewing it into the doll's head.

For the last twenty minutes, she had been beating the stuffing – although not literally…yet – out of the miniature James, and was feeling much better.

Lily sighed and sat down on her bed.

It wasn't James's fault he had moved on. The blame lay entirely with Lily – for six years, she had either ignored his presence or refused to go out with him. The entire time she had secretly fancied him and now it seemed like he really was over her, something that she was constantly reminded of by his many girlfriends.

Holding up the doll in front of her, she flicked its head tiredly one last time.

A yelp sounded downstairs.

Lily's head turned slowly towards the door and, holding the mini-James tightly in her hand, she crept down the stairs to the common room, pausing at a point on the stairs that allowed her to observe unnoticed.

James Potter – the real one – sat on the couch, one hand cradling his head, the other his ribs. Remus and Sirius were standing next to him, exchanging worried looks.

"Do you think it's Snape?" Remus asked in a whisper that never the less carried around the empty Common Room – everyone else was at dinner.

"Nah," Sirius said, although he still appeared worried. "If it was, don't you think he would have somehow killed him already? Maybe it's someone's idea of a prank."

"Ow!" James yelled, both hands flying to his midsection. Frightened, Lily dropped her James doll and it fell onto the floor headfirst. James let out another yelp and clutched his head this time.

Slowly, Lily bent down and picked up the voodoo doll gingerly, holding it slightly away from her.

"What the hell?" she whispered, so softly she could barely hear herself. Remus's head turned slightly towards her, causing her to tense – she'd forgotten that werewolves had excellent hearing. Everything was silent for a few minutes until Sirius spoke again.

"I wonder if there's a way of finding out who's causing this," he said. "They need to be stopped before Prongs here gets any brain damage or internal bleeding or something like that."

"Whatever happens, I'm sure Pomfrey could fix me right up," James muttered, hands still clutching his head. Sirius's eyes widened.

"Pomfrey!" he exclaimed. "Maybe she could do something! Or McGonagall!"

"No," James said vehemently, standing up gingerly. "I don't want any of the teachers knowing that some unknown…_thing_ is beating me up. Considering the times, they'd probably think it was something to do with Voldemort, and I don't want to panic anyone."

Lily debated going upstairs and discovering how to properly dispose of a voodoo doll, absentmindedly stroking her thumb along mini-James's side as she did so. Startled, she jumped slightly when he busted out laughing.

"Now they're…heehee…t-t-tickl-tickling…me!" he gasped around his laughter. Lily looked down at her hands and smiled evilly. Bringing mini-James up to her eye level, she took both her thumbs and ran them quickly down and then back up his sides. Another, even louder, peal of laughter escaped James lips and by now he was rolling on the ground, clutching his sides. It was all she could do to keep from laughing as well.

Lily stopped tickling him when she heard him utter a soft "ow" in between laughs. Remus and Sirius helped him back onto the couch and exchanged another set of worried looks.

Biting her lip, she made a split second decision. "Remus," she said softly. Predictably, his head turned towards the staircase slightly, his brows furrowed. "It's Lily. Could you and Sirius leave for a little while? I need to talk to James." When he showed hesitation, she added, "I'll take care of him – it's really important Remus, please."

Sighing, Remus nodded and leaned over to Sirius, whispering something in his ear. Sirius's eyebrows contracted, and he looked at the staircase. He couldn't see Lily, but Remus said she was there.

Clapping a hand on his shoulder, Sirius leaned down and muttered something to James. He just nodded, and Lily prayed he hadn't told him that she was standing here. That would be awkward, to say the least.

She waited until the two of them had left and the portrait hole had closed behind them to move.

"James," she said softly, descending the staircase all the way. His head snapped up, and they both smiled. Making sure the doll was carefully hidden behind her back, she walked towards him slowly.

"Hey, Lily. What's up?"

She fidgeted for a moment. "Well, I have something I have to confess." Had she been paying attention, she would have noticed the small spark of hope that bloomed in his eyes. Instead, she was looking at her slippers.

"This is kind of my fault."

James looked at her confusedly. "What's your fault?"

"The fact that you have bruised ribs, a massive headache and were tickled within an inch of your life."

His confusion became more pronounced. "How is it your fault? We figured it was some kind of prank from a younger student at the school."

Wordlessly, Lily thrust the voodoo doll at him and sat next to him on the couch, not meeting his gaze at all. Her red fuzzy slippers were still fascinating. Before he could open his mouth – or even form a coherent thought, for that matter – Lily began rambling.

"You see," she started, "Marlene and I found this book in the library about voodoo, and – you know what that is right?" Without waiting for him to do more than nod, she ploughed on, "and we were joking about trying it out on you and Sirius, but we weren't _really_ going to do it, and then we were walking down to dinner and we saw you snogging that one chick – Mary, Marie, Marissa? – anyway, we saw you snogging her and I got jealous and mad and so I came back upstairs and made a voodoo doll of you and I'm really sorry, I hope you aren't _too_ terribly hurt and-"

James silenced her by leaning over and kissing her firmly. Surprised though she was, Lily quickly relaxed into the kiss and threaded her hands through his hair. Mini-James slid off his lap as he scooted closer to her and fell onto the floor. James winced and pulled away, clutching his side.

Trying not to laugh, Lily leaned over and scooped up the doll, planting a kiss on his head. James touched the top of his head in wonder.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said slowly, "my headache's all gone." He ran a hand through his hair quickly and then smirked. "So…you were jealous of Mariela?"

Lily blushed and stared at her slippers again.

A hand cupped her chin and forced her gaze up. She was met with the most tender gaze she had ever seen from James Potter.

"You have no reason to be jealous, Lils," he said softly. "I've never been serious about another girl, and I've never had really genuine feelings about another girl either. And that makes me sound really bad, but it's true. You've always been it for me."

Lily smiled and looked down at the little doll in her lap.

"You have to get rid of that thing," he said with a chuckle. "You've got the real thing now. Plus, it's almost a little creepy."

Lily bit her lip, trying to contain her smile. Wordlessly, she picked up James's wand from the table in front of them and cast a silent Summoning charm. Within moments, the book on voodoo was zooming towards them and she caught it deftly out of the air.

James reached over and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear as she flicked through the pages. She giggled and playfully pushed his hand away.

"Stop it, I can't concentrate."

Finally, she found the page she was looking for, and she picked up James's wand again. Lily set the little doll on the table in front of them and pointed the wand at it.

"_Terminus voodoo alica_," she said clearly, waving and then flicking the wand. Mini-James glowed brightly for a second before returning to normal.

Tentatively, Lily picked it up and poked its stomach. She looked at James.

"Feel anything?"

He shook his head, and she smiled and sprung up of the couch.

"Good. Night, James!" And she began making her way up the stairs, the little doll clutched tightly in her arms.

He sat there for a moment, dumbfounded, before springing up as well and walking to the foot of the stairs.

"Oi! Evans!" he bellowed. A moment later and she walked back down the stairs, stopping a few up, just out of his reach. "Go to Hogsmeade with me?"

She smiled and blushed slightly, hugging the miniature James closer to her chest. "Why Potter, I thought you'd never ask." Before he could even react, she had skipped down the last few steps and planted a quick, firm kiss on his lips, then darted back up the stairs to her dorm.

Marlene snorted when she returned to her dorm after dinner – Lily was completely asleep, curled up under her comforter with a small doll that looked suspiciously like James Potter on the pillow next to her head.

* * *

**Well? Whatcha think? Ideas for W,X, and Z! Please!**


	23. Wanker

**Sorry for the delay! Enjoy!**

* * *

Everybody's saying it. Some mutter it under their breaths, some flat out say it to his face, and none of them are very nice about it. It makes him kind of sad because he'd always considered himself part of this large, dysfunctional, wonderful family, and now it was like nobody wanted him anymore.

He walked into the kitchen at the Potters' house and instantly James straightened from against the counter where he had been leaning. Walking briskly past Teddy without even looking, he let the word slip out, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"Wanker."

Then he was gone. Sighing, Teddy closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, knowing without seeing it that it was navy blue.

It wasn't like he wanted to break up with, or like he wasn't miserable without her. They had been together since her last year at Hogwarts and pretty much everyone thought that they were going to get married. But Teddy had a feeling that he wasn't making her as happy as he used to and so he ended it, for her, not for him. Everyone seemed to conveniently forget that part.

He plopped down onto the grass and lay down, closing his eyes against the sunlight.

Teddy hadn't been laying there long when he heard the distinct soft _pop_ of someone Apparating. He didn't open his eyes, not wanting to face whatever Weasley relative had come to berate him this time. It had already been three weeks, but people kept coming back for seconds and thirds, apparently thinking he was enjoying his newfound single existence.

Well, he wasn't. He was bloody miserable.

Someone sat next to him.

"Teddy."

He knew that voice. He didn't want to listen to it now.

She poked him. Twice. Three times. "_Teddy_."

"What?" he finally snapped, and opened his eyes to see Victoire peering down at him. "Can't a man have a _little_ peace?"

She shook her head and continued to peer at him. As he glared back, she sighed.

"Why did you do it?"

Teddy sighed too. He was so sick of people asking him this. Damn her extra-large family.

"Because," he replied in a monotone voice, closing his eyes, "I could tell she wasn't as happy with me as she used to be. And she deserves better." He'd said the words so many times they were starting to feel hollow.

There was silence for a minute before she hit him on the shoulder. Hard. Victoire always could hit like a guy.

"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing the spot where she'd smacked him.

"Teddy Lupin," she growled, "you are the biggest _wanker_ on the face of the planet! What do you mean, she wasn't happy with you? None of us had ever seen her any _happier_! And deserving better? Ted, there's no better she could do than you because the two of you understand each other so much better than anyone else. She's knows more about you from your two years together than I do from six years dating and two years of marriage with you!"

Still wincing, Teddy sat up. "I know her just as well as you think she knows me. She wasn't as happy for the last few months as she had been before, I could tell. I wanted to end it before it hurt either of us anymore. At least now she can be happy."

Victoire let out a noise of frustration before turning to face him and saying in a much calmer voice, "Teddy have you even seen her these last few weeks? She's not happier, she's _miserable_. Probably as miserable as you are, if not more because she thinks you don't love her."

His head snapped up and he stood, towering over Victoire.

"What do you mean, she thinks I don't love her?" he cried. "How could she even consider that?" He began pacing in front of her, muttering to himself and running his hands through his rapidly-changing hair.

Victoire watched him for a moment before saying softly, "Then why don't you go tell her that?"

Teddy stared at her for a moment before promptly Disapparating, leaving Victoire smiling contentedly.

He paced anxiously in front of the door to her flat, debating the pros and cons of knocking. Part of him was terrified that Albus, or even worse, Harry would answer, or another equally angry, equally threatening male Weasley relative.

Sighing, he summoned up his Gryffindor courage – even though he had been in Hufflepuff – and knocked slowly four times. If she was there, she would know it was him, which might – he gulped – make her ignore it or maybe send someone else to open the door and curse the living hell out of him.

The door flew open and to his relief, there stood Lily, not one of her terrifying cousins, siblings, aunts, or uncles. Then he saw what she looked like.

There were massive circles under her eyes, like she hadn't been sleeping, and they were red and slightly swollen, as if she had been crying her poor broken little heart out. The tank top he had seen her in so frequently now seemed looser on her and so did the cut-off sweats she was wearing. In the space of about three weeks, Lily seemed to have shriveled up and fallen apart.

"I'm sorry," he said helplessly, looking at her pleadingly. He could see a small traitorous spring of hope bloom in her eyes. "And I love you."

With a muffled sob, she threw herself into his arms, latching hers around his neck and burrowing into his shoulder. He gripped her tightly and pressed his nose to her hair.

After a few minutes, she pulled back and looked him in the eyes. Even the blotchiness of her face couldn't disguise her happiness, and she smiled for the first time since he had broken up with her for the most idiotic reasons.

"I love you," she said firmly, pressing her forehead against his, and then tilting her head to kiss him.

"But," she breathed when they broke apart, "you are such a _wanker_."

In spite of himself, Teddy smiled and smoothed some hair away from her forehead.

"You know, people have been telling me that a lot lately."

* * *

**Again, sorry it took me so long to update, I hope you don't hate me! In my defense, I'm still getting used to school starting again and I'm taking 18 hours and trying to find a job! But I know that's no excuse, I promised y'all stories so y'all are gonna get them :)**

**Ideas for X please?**


	24. X

**Please see A/N at the bottom of the story.**

* * *

"Lily."

No response.

"_Lily_." A poke to accompany this whisper. Still nothing.

"Watch the master, " Marlene whispered and moved softly past Alice. With a mighty tug on the comforter, she sent Lily flipping out of bed and onto the floor.

"Hey!" she said indignantly, sitting up and rubbing her hip. "That was uncalled for!" She stood up and planted her hands on her hips, looking between her friends.

"Lily," Alice began in a placating tone, "remember what today is?"

Lily thought for a moment and then a dreamy smile took the place of her scowl. Almost as if in a trance, she moved to her vanity and began brushing her hair. Marlene smirked.

"Get ready Lils, James has quite the day planned for you."

Lily gave a soft sigh and nodded, still smiling dreamily.

Twenty minutes later, Lily practically floated into the living room of their flat. Alice giggled and whispered to Marlene, "I wish every day was their two year anniversary, just so she would always be in such a good mood." Marlene nodded and smiled at the sight of their happily dazed friend.

"Lily!" Marlene called, and Lily floated over to them. "James has set up a sort of scavenger hunt or treasure hunt for you today. I'm supposed to give you the first clue."

At James's name and the mention of a puzzle, Lily had snapped to attention.

"The first clue is…first sight."

Lily's brow furrowed. "First sight? What does that – ?" Before she could finish her question, both Marlene and Alice had Disapparated. Sighing, Lily paced, trying to come up with meanings to the clue. The only thing she could think of was the first time they saw each other – where had that been?

Acting on impulse, Lily Apparated to King's Cross.

"_Need help?"_

_Lily turned and came face-to-face with a kind looking black-haired woman. "You look a little lost," she said kindly. Behind the lady, Lily could see a small raven-haired little boy that looked to be about her age. She smiled hopefully. He rolled his eyes and turned away._

Standing in the fortunately deserted station near the Platform 9 ¾ entrance was Remus, pale but smiling.

Wordlessly, he handed Lily a small piece of paper. Still smiling, he said "First meeting," and stepped backwards through the wall. Smiling as well, Lily followed him but he was gone.

The Hogwarts Express stood in front of her, occasional bursts of steam coming from the front.

She looked down at the paper in hand, but saw nothing on it. Shrugging, she put it in her back pocket and stepped onto the train, praying she wasn't breaking some rule.

Nothing happened, so she continued to the compartment where she first remembered actually meeting James. Inside it, she saw Alice.

Hearing the door slide open, Alice turned and smiled at Lily before handing her another small square of paper. It was blank as well.

"First fight."

Then she was gone as well. To Lily's surprise, the train began to move. Smiling, she sat down in the compartment and watched the scenery, half expecting the trolley lady to come in and ask if she wanted anything. It was weird though – she'd never ridden the Hogwarts Express without James around somewhere.

Finally, the train arrived at the Hogsmeade station and she looked around, thinking. Alice had said 'first fight' and the first fight she remembered she and James having was in third year, at the gates.

"_Evans!"_

_Inwardly, she groaned. They had almost made it to the carriages without Potter saying anything to her. So close, yet so far._

_Refraining from prematurely rolling her eyes, she turned to face him and placed a hand on her hip. He was grinning cockily, making a few of the passing third years swoon._

"_Accompany me to the Three Broomsticks?" Potter asked jauntily._

"_No," she said coldly, turning to rejoin her friends._

"_Geez Evans," she heard from behind her, "loosen up a bit."_

_She spun to face him, her red ponytail practically smacking her in the face._

"_Why? So I can be an immature, idiotic prat like yourself?" Potter's face grew hard._

"_No," he replied icily, "so that someone might want to be around you for a reason other than pity or the need to pass a class. Honestly Evans, is it painful to walk around with a stick up your arse all the time?"_

She shook her head and smiled as the sight of the gates came into view. Lily could see someone standing there, but couldn't quite make out who it was.

She'd forgotten how hard it was to walk up this hill, and was so happy to see that Peter was holding a glass of water that she could have hugged him. She didn't though. Along with the water, he handed her another piece of paper.

"First kiss," he squeaked before Disapparating. Lily smiled even bigger and walked up to the gates. Surely she could go onto the school grounds, since she had already come this far.

To her relief, the gates swung open and Lily made her way to the tree by the lake.

"_Do it Lily. I dare you."_

_Huffing, Lily shot a death glare at Marlene, who was grinning like a maniac, before turning her attention to the four boys sprawled at the base of the tree, not two hundred yards from them. Rolling her eyes and wishing she could turn down a dare, she began walking towards them. Surprisingly, they seemed to be studying. She supposed they passed their O. somehow_

"_Potter!" she called when she was close. All four boys turned to look at her, and Potter scrambled to his feet and began jogging towards her._

"_Yeah Lily?" he asked when he came to a stop in front of her._

_Biting her lip, she decided to just go for it before she lost her nerve. Lily stood on her tiptoes and kissed him._

_Potter froze, then relaxed and wound his arms around her waist, kissing her back. Lily was surprised to find that she actually enjoyed snogging Potter and might even have to thank Marlene for this later._

_After a few moments, they pulled apart, James staring at her in wonder._

"_Lily-" he began, but she shook her head and he stopped speaking, confused._

"_Look," she started, but was distracted by James tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and the realization that his arms were still wrapped securely around her waist._

"_Look," she repeated, "Marlene dared me to, okay?"_

_His face fell and Lily saw real hurt and broken hope in his eyes. "So you only kissed me because you are completely unable to turn down a dare?"_

"_I'm sorry James," she said softly, extracting herself from his arms and walking back to Marlene._

_She actually felt guilty._

Standing under the tree was, unsurprisingly, Marlene.

"First date," she said with a smile and handed Lily yet another blank square of paper. Then she was gone. Still smiling – had she ever stopped? – she turned back towards Hogsmeade.

"First _real_ kiss."

"First anniversary."

"First time you said I love you."

Three more slips of paper as Lily visited the hill by the Shrieking Shack, the small Italian place down the street from her flat, and James's parents' house.

As she collected the last piece of paper from Sirius, he waved his wand and grinned before Disapparating. The eight pieces she had collected floated into the air and connected into one piece of paper and slowly, lines began to appear on it. Lily was strongly reminded of the Marauder's Map.

When it finished, Lily was looking at a piece of paper with a squiggly dotted line on it, leading up to a giant X. At the beginning of the squiggly line was a small little dot that said _Lily Evans_ above it, much like the Map did.

Laughing softly, Lily took a step forward and watched as the dot moved too.

She began walking in the direction the line went, bumping into the occasional chair as she made her way out of the Potters' house and through their back yard. She laughed as it looped randomly around a tree and then made a random zig-zag. Only James.

Finally, she arrived at where the X should be and looked around. Lily was in the oak grove not far from the Potters' house, and it was almost completely dark. The scavenger/treasure hunt had taken most of the day.

An arm snaked around her waist, making her jump, and a hand covered her eyes. She smiled and placed her hand on top of his.

When he uncovered her eyes, she was looking at a grove lit by fairy lights. A giant red X was illuminated on the grass in the middle of the trees. Smiling, she turned to face James, only to see that he wasn't there anymore. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to study the X and noticed a small black dot in the middle.

Walking closer slowly, she saw that it was a box. As she bent down to pick it up, it vanished, and she straightened, placing her hands on her hips.

"James Potter!" she called, albeit with a smile, "What are you up to?" She heard a snicker in front of her and reached out. Her hand came into contact with something solid and, smirking, she yanked off his Invisibility Cloak.

Her boyfriend stood in front of her grinning, his hair even messier and his glasses even more lopsided than usual. In his hands was the box. Lily reached out for it, but he held it out of reach and smiled down at her.

"Can't you wait two more minutes for your present?" He teased, still holding the box far above her head. Pouting, Lily stopped reaching for it and crossed her arms. "Thank you," he said, still smiling.

Before she could blink, James had leaned down and given her a quick kiss on the lips before murmuring "Happy Anniversary." Then, he sunk down onto one knee in front of her.

Lily's mouth dropped and her arms came uncrossed as she looked at him.

James opened his mouth, undoubtedly to begin some planned out, mushy-to-the-core, romantic, heartfelt speech, but Lily shrieked and cut him off before throwing herself at him.

He fell backwards and she fell on top of him, then proceeded to snog the breath out of him.

"Yes." She murmured before kissing him again.

"Lil," he said softly in between kisses, "not that – I'm – not – enjoying this – but this – red grass stuff – is getting all – over my – shirt."

Lily grinned at him. "Then I suppose you will just have to take off your shirt."

* * *

**I know it's not my best, but I have had a massive case of writer's block when it comes to this story. I wanted to update before people gave up on me. :)  
I just wanted to forewarn you, if you read _Nine, _it may not get updated on Saturday. I may wait until the next weekend and then update two chapters, simply because I have only written about two pages on the next chapter and I have four tests next week I have to study for, so I don't know that I will have time to write much, and I know a lot of people have that story on alert. I'm going to do my best to spit out the chapter tomorrow, but no guarantees.  
Other than that, if you haven't already, go to my profile and look at my latest update (I think the date is 8-26 or somewhere around there) please!  
Sorry for the novel at the end of the story!**

**Review!**


	25. Years

**Just a quick note, the numbers in parentheses are Lily's age at the time of the event, not Teddy's. :)

* * *

**

[January (5)]

She spun around in the snow, tossing handfuls of it in the air. When she spotted him, she grinned mischievously and tossed a small, poorly made snowball at him.

It hit his knee softly, causing him to snap out of his daze. With an evil smirk that his father's friends would have been proud of, he dashed at her and picked her up, spinning her around.

Laughing, she shrieked wildly and giggled when he tossed her back into the snow.

**[February (8)]**

He felt a light tap on his back and turned around, meeting the gaze of his godsister. Smiling shyly, she handed him a small red heart and then practically ran off, red hair flying behind her. With a small grin gracing his features, he turned back to face his girlfriend, who was watching him with something of a patronizing look on her face.

"You know," she said with a flick of her strawberry blonde hair, "I really wish she would get over this little crush on you. Or you could at least stop encouraging it."

With a sigh, he looked down at the small, artfully done Valentine in his hand.

**[March (11)]**

He heard a shriek – a very familiar shriek – and ran quickly down the stairs.

Predictably, there she was, standing on a table. And on the floor was a spider.

With a laugh, he scooped up the spider and tossed it out the backdoor. Turning back to her, he helped her off the table and patted her on the head.

"You are so much like your uncle," he said with a chuckle.

Tossing her head, she stormed up the stairs to her room. With a shrug, he followed her up the steps and went to his own room.

**[April (13)]**

"_Dear Former Best Friend,_

_Yes, I think I am mad at you. You're going to Russia for three years and you're just now telling me? How could I not be mad?_

_Thank you for at least waiting until the rest of the family and I get home for the summer before you leave. That way I can give you a piece of my mind in person._

_Hope all is well with you(well, maybe)._

_Since you withheld key details of your life from me, I will do the same for you._

_Not as much love as usual,  
Your Angry Godsister_

**[May (18)]**

He scanned the room for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. He sighed and, avoiding the gaze of his angry ex-girlfriend, stepped outside.

They hadn't seen each other in nearly five years. The entire family thought it was a woman that had convinced him to stay in Russia the extra two years. Really it was just that he enjoyed the work he had been doing there.

But he had been looking forward to seeing her tonight after so long. He had really missed her, her and her smartass remarks, too-knowing eyes, fear of spiders and weird giggling.

Speaking of her weird giggling…

She emerged from around the corner of the house, laughing at something the man next to her had said. His eyes found their intertwined hands, then lifted again to meet her unreadable gaze.

"Welcome back." Then she disappeared.

**[June (21)]**

"She seems to have finally relinquished that crush on you," a voice said from over his shoulder. Without even turning around or looking behind him, he nodded.

"Yes, she has."

His eyes found the champagne-colored diamond on her left hand.

Her fiancé slid an arm around her waist.

**[July (22)]**

He could feel her staring, but kept his gaze firmly on the strawberry blonde in front of him.

Everyone had been surprised, to say the least. But he figured that he needed some kind of stability in his life, and this was his way of finding it.

He slipped a ring on her finger and, ignoring her blinding smile, felt her slip the ring on his.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." And so he did, then walked her back down the aisle.

She was standing near the aisle in the back row. He caught a glimpse of her face as they walked by. In a few seconds, he saw confusion, resentment, resignation, and…hurt?

They reached the end of the aisle and continued on.

**[August (23)]**

She was a stunningly beautiful bride, he couldn't help but notice. He was pretty sure that every guy in the room that wasn't related to her was just a little in love with her.

His wife shifted next to him and out of the corner of his eye he could see her dabbing at her eyes.

"They're so in love," she whispered. "It's so beautiful. Remember our wedding?" She sighed reminiscently. He sighed as well, though hardly from wedding day nostalgia. Instead, memories from his childhood – and hers – flickered through his mind.

He sighed again.

His wife squeezed his hand.

**[September (26)]**

The moonlight glinted off her silver wedding band. He looked at his own gold one, and then back at her sleeping form. She shivered, so he wrapped the sheet tighter around her and tugged her closer to him. She let out a soft sigh and snuggled closer to him.

He kissed her forehead and tried to think of how they had gotten here. Honestly, he had no clue.

The only thing he really knew was that he was done with his marriage, and he was praying she was done with hers as well.

"Everything okay?" she asked sleepily.

He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Pressing another kiss to her forehead, he closed his eyes.

"Everything's fine."

It could wait until morning.

**[October (28)]**

He was divorced. Had been for almost two years, but she stubbornly refused to leave her husband, and every day it broke his heart just a little more.

He woke up to find her sitting at the end of the bed, wrapped in a sheet, sketching. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her drawing, or doing anything artistic. It was a shame really, because she was so good.

Noticing he was awake, she looked up and him, and then back down at her sketchpad. Sighing, she turned it around and showed him the drawing – him asleep, drawn so vividly it was like he was looking at himself sleeping. He could almost see his chest moving.

"You make me want to draw," she said, her tone almost helpless as if she was seeking an explanation for why. "Not much makes me want to draw nowadays, but just looking at you sleeping…I couldn't help it."

Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against hers and tugged the sketchpad out of her hands.

**[November (28)]**

She showed up with bags in her hands. Her face was red like she had been crying, but she looked like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Cautiously, trying not to get his hopes up, he looked at her left hand.

Empty.

Smiling for the first time in who knows how long, he took her bags from her hands and set them on the couch before pulling her into his arms.

**[December (29)]**

She looked like a snow angel, he couldn't help but think. He still couldn't believe this was actually happening.

Her father smiled at him and he released her arm and allowed her to walk over to him. From the front row, her mother smiled as well. Maybe it was his imagination, but he couldn't help but think that everyone looked even happier at this wedding than at their previous ones.

He didn't even hear anything the wizard marrying them was saying – he was too busy staring at her. Her red hair stood out vibrantly against the white of her dress and the snow behind her.

She bit her lip to contain her smile, her eyes filled with tears.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

And he did – he wrapped his arms all the way around her and kissed her deeply in front of their entire family, not caring that her father and brothers were standing close to him. They pulled apart and she smiled up at him through her tears.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

**Just one chapter left! And it's going to be Lily/James, although I seriously need ideas! Letter Z! I have no idea what to write and I would like to get this story wrapped up within a week or two! All ideas appreciated! THANKS! :D**


	26. Zonko's

**I'm not going to lie, I'm not exactly happy with the way this one turned out, but my inspiration and creativity has been -30 lately :(  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story and waited oh so patiently for me to update, even when it took me forever. If you are also waiting on the next chapter of _Nine, _I am working on it, but no promises on when it will be posted.**

* * *

"Come _on_ Lily!"

The red head glared at him and planted her feet firmly on the ground, refusing to move an inch further. James stopped and stared at her forlornly.

At the look on his face, she couldn't help but smile, but refused to move a step further towards the shop.

"Why won't you go into Zonko's?"

With a huff, she replied, "Because Zonko's is full of things that immature people use to make other people's lives miserable."

"Hey!" James said indignantly, "Sirius and I happen to be some of those so called 'immature people' that you just insulted."

"Exactly."

James looked somewhat affronted and walked back to where she was standing. Resolutely, he grabbed her hand and began practically dragging her towards Zonko's front doors.

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry Lily," he said over his shoulder, "but I cannot allow you to have passed all seven years at Hogwarts and not have stepped foot inside Zonko's, especially not while you are _my_ girlfriend."

And in they went.

An hour later they walked out, James carrying several bags and Lily looking thoughtful.

"You know," she said, "that place really wasn't that bad. I can see why you and Sirius like going there so much."

Struggling under the weight of the bags, James tried to catch up to her. Suddenly, she whirled around smiling and planted a kiss on his lips, making him smile. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to that.

"Thank you for carrying my bags," she said with a laugh, running ahead as she spotted Marlene and Sirius at the Three Broomsticks.

"You're welcome," he said grudgingly.


End file.
